DAVAO City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte has ordered that face shields shall only be used in crowded places, close-contact settings, and confined and enclosed spaces (3Cs).
In her Executive Order (E.O.) No. 51 Series of 2021, otherwise known as “An Order Providing For The Guidelines On The Use of Face Shields,” which she signed on September 30, 2021.
The new EO repeals or modifies Executive Order No. 65-A series of 2020, known as “An Order Consolidating all the Issuances on the Use of Face Shields and all other orders or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.”
E.O. No. 51 mandates that face shields must be used in crowded places – defined as areas where there is a mass gathering of individuals, which include but are not limited to swab sites, vaccination sites, evacuation centers, distribution of assistance, and Comelec voters’ registration.
The new order, which was to take effect immediately, cited President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s announcement on September 22, 2021, to limit the use of face shields to the 3Cs as recommended by the Technical Advisory Group. The President has earlier extended the State of Calamity in the country until September 12, 2022, via Presidential Proclamation 1218.
The World Health Organization has defined the 3Cs as crowded places with many people nearby, close-contact settings, especially where people have close-range conversations, and confined and enclosed spaces with poor ventilation.
It can be recalled that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution No. 68, s. 2020 dated September 3, 2020, mandates the use of a face shield with a face mask in the following places: supermarkets, public markets, malls; and venues where government-initiated meetings and critical government services are being conducted or provided.
The City Government of Davao, through E.O. 65-A series of 2020, also required its employees and clients/visitors to wear a face shield and face mask inside their buildings and rooms.
The mandatory use of face shield often ranks among the top three COVID-19 protocol violations in Davao City.
Mayor Duterte issued E.O. 65-A Series of 2020, which cited the issuances of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Memorandum Circular 2020-014 dated August 3, 2020, that mandates the wearing of face shield with a face mask for all passengers in areas where public transportation is allowed; Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Joint Memorandum Circular 20-04-A dated August 15, 2020, which also mandates the use of face shield with face mask; and the Inter-Agency Task Force that mandates the use of face shield with face mask in supermarkets, public markets, malls, and in venues where government-initiated meetings and critical government services are being conducted.
Check the full provisions of E.O. 51 at https://www.davaocity.gov.ph/transparency/executive-orders/2021-executive-orders/. CIO
