EP 22: The COVID-19 Face Shield Debate

Last week, we heard mixed signals from top government officials regarding face shields.

According to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, President Duterte had agreed that face shields should be required only in hospitals — quite a relief for people forced to wear them even outdoors.

Malacańang later confirmed that the president had indeed said this. 

But Palace Spokesman Harry Roque also said we should await “further actions” from an Inter-Agency Task Force, which, as we know, takes its cue from the president before making any decision on how we should all deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

So it was quite a surprise when Duterte announced last Monday — face shields were here to stay, whether you’re indoors or outdoors — for the time being. 

He was apparently acting on the advice of certain health experts that it’s better to keep face shields on along with face masks because of the current delta variant.

But for many, this confusion is not a “small inconvenience,” to borrow the president’s term. 

It’s indicative of the level of confusion among policy makers. those who are supposed to be guiding us during this serious health crisis. 

Many of us are understandably frustrated. 

Imagine - we’ve been dealing with this pandemic for more than a year. we’ve implemented the world’s longest lockdown. 

Yet, while other countries have relaxed their own thanks to an efficient vaccination program here in the Philippines, we’re still debating whether we should still wear face shields or not.

Health Undersecretary and Treatment Czar Leopoldo Vega and Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Benjamin Co join Christian Esguerra in this episode.