PASAY CITY -- Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has expressed his support for the proposal to make the use of face shields non-mandatory but urged the public to wait for the advice of authorities and experts. He also called on Filipinos to remain vigilant amid the ongoing threats of COVID-19 to not put to waste the efforts to overcome the pandemic.
“Ako naman po, personally, as Senate Committee on Health Chairperson, ay kung maaari ano na lang, huwag nang gawing mandatory dahil tayo na nga lang po ang bansa,” Go said during distribution of assistance to residents of Antipolo City in Rizal on Tuesday, November 9.
“Of course, we rely on experts. Kung ano po ‘yung sasabihin ng health experts, ‘yun po ang pwede nating paniwalaan at pakinggan para wala pong sisihan,” he added.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is still evaluating whether or not to eliminate the use of face shields entirely, according to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. He asked the people to hold off until a decision is made.
Go, on the other hand, appealed to the IATF to reevaluate the mandatory use of face shields, citing the decreasing number of cases in the country and the number of individuals who have been vaccinated.
“I'm appealing sa ating mga... sa IATF, kung maaari, luwagan na po. Kung maaari, gawing voluntary na lang. Kung hindi naman po kailangan na, lalung-lalo na po sa mga lugar na hindi naman dikit-dikit ‘yung tao, ay pwede nang makapag-adjust dahil tayo na lang po ang natitirang nagpe-face shield,” said Go.
“Kung hindi na kailangan, pwede nang luwagan basta sa mga lugar na mababa na ‘yung kaso. Huwag lang po doon sa mga tumataas pa ‘yung kaso dahil dagdag proteksyon po itong face shield,” he added.
Go said that President Rodrigo Duterte will likewise heed the advice of health experts and local government officials who are familiar with the situation on the ground.
“Maaaring pag-usapan ‘yan mamaya with some IATF members, sa kanyang Talk to the People. Maaaring mapaaprubahan po,” said Go.
“And I'm sure, nakikinig naman po ang Presidente sa... actually nakikinig po siya sa mga health experts and, of course sa mga local government officials. Sila po ang nakakaalam sa actual situation po on the ground,” he ended.
Earlier, Go commended Duterte and the national government for deciding to limit the use of face shields only to high-risk activities following the recommendation from the Department of Health Technical Advisory Group.
According to Go, wearing face shields may be considered non-mandatory in low-risk activities, especially for fully vaccinated individuals, as the government accelerates its vaccine rollout. He went on to say that wearing a mask remains the primary protection for the public to protect themselves from COVID-19.
“Suportado ko rin po ang unti-unting pagluwag ng ating mga patakaran, lalo na sa mga nabakunahan, na upang makatulong sa pagpapaunlad ng ating ekonomiya. Isa na rito ang paglilimita sa paggamit ng face shields upang makahinga nang konti ang mga Pilipino at mapagaan ang hirap na kanilang dinadala,” Go said.
“Ang pangunahing proteksyon naman natin ay ang mask at ang bakuna. Dagdag na proteksyon ang face shield pero pwede nang hindi gawing mandatory ‘yan kung kung hindi naman crowded, hindi naman closed space, at wala namang close contact, o ang tinatawag ng mga eksperto na 3Cs,” he explained. (OSBG)
