Netizens express relief after the lifting of mandatory use of face shield in most areas in the Philippines.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved last Monday (Nov. 15) the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) recommendation to lift the mandatory use of face shields in areas under Alert Level 1 to 3.

Zamboanga City is placed under ALERT LEVEL 3 from November 17 - 30, 2021 pursuant to NIATF Resolution 148-F approved November 13, 2021.

Different reactions were seen on social media applauding the lifting of the use of face shield after two years, especially the commuters who were relieved to not wear face shields inside the public transport.

Jade Monce, a resident of Zamboanga City, agrees to the lifting of the requirement, “nararapat lang na i-lift na ang use of face shield dahil ‘di naman talaga niya naseserve ang kanyang purpose. Hirap ang ibang tao makakita pag gagamit ng faceshield sa open spaces, tapos may mask pa,” she said.

(It is appropriate to lift the use of face shield because it does not serve its purpose. Most people have a hard time to see clearly while using it in open spaces while using face mask at the same time.)

Monce also emphasized that even while using the face shields, cases remain on peak.
 

How about people who have poor eyesight that also need to use eyeglasses at the same time? Janine Cadungog, also shares her sentiments in using both eyeglasses and face shield when going out.

“To be honest, as a person na gumagamit ng eyeglasses on a daily basis, sobrang hirap at sobrang sakit siya sa tenga, dagdag bigat tapos may mask pa,” she said.

(To be honest, as a person that uses eye glasses on a daily basis, it is a struggle and its painful in the ears because it is heavy considering we also use face mask.)

However, there are some people who still chose to wear face shield for their protection especially in closed spaces.

Although the memorandum states that it is not mandatory, some establishments may still require you to use face shields for extra protection while inside their buildings or offices.

What to do now?

What will you do with your face shields? Considering that it is made of plastic, environmental managers remind people to be responsible of disposing their face shields. They urged the public not to throw out the face shields just yet as the pandemic is still not over. (RVC/MLE/PIA9-Zamboanga City)