Delta variant prompts ‘flip-flop’ on face shield use: Palace

MANILA – The more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has triggered the flip-flopping on the government’s policy on the wearing of face shields, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque issued the statement as he justified the apparent reversal of Duterte’s directive concerning the use of face shields in the country.

“Wala pong maling mag-flip flop kung meron kasing mga supervening event. Kaya nga po tayo nag-flip-flop kasi meron namang Delta variant (There is nothing wrong with flip-flopping because of supervening events. There has been a flip-flop because there is a Delta variant),” he said.

Roque initially announced on June 17 that Duterte had decided to ease the government’s face shield requirement by allowing its use only in hospitals.

Roque, however, retracted his previous pronouncement on Monday, saying Duterte has decided to keep his original policy on the mandatory use of face shields indoors and outdoors in view of more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant.

Roque said any modifications to Duterte’s policy would depend on “scientific change.”

Ability to ‘adapt’

Joining Roque at the press conference, Dr. Alethea de Guzman, officer-in-charge director of the Department of Health’s epidemiology bureau, noted that a person who contracts the Delta variant can infect five to eight people.

Roque said the country has to “adapt” and the government needs to make changes in its strategies every time Covid-19 mutates.

“So, it will continue. The process of adapting as this disease further develops and mutates, magpapatuloy po iyan (will continue),” Roque said.

Roque said the ability to adapt would keep Filipinos protected against Covid-19.

“At wala pong flip-flopping diyan dahil tayo po ay nagpapatupad ng mga proteksyon alinsunod na rin sa kung paano nag-mutate ang virus (There is no flip-flopping there because we are seeking protection in view of the mutation of the virus),” he said.

IATF rules on face shield use stands

In December last year, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) decided to make it mandatory for the public to wear face masks and face shields in all public spaces to avoid a possible surge in Covid-19 cases.

Roque said Duterte’s latest directive makes the IATF-EID’s face shield policy “effective” anew.

“Ito po ay epektibo muli. Ito po ay binuhay muli ng ating Presidente kahapon (This is effective again. The President made it effective yesterday again),” he said.

IATF-EID Resolution 88, which was issued on December 14 last year, requires all persons to wear full-coverage face shields on top of face masks whenever they go out of their residences to “lessen the transmission of Covid-19.”

In a public address on Monday night, Duterte said the “small inconvenience” of wearing face shields is a “small price to pay” to prevent the impending disaster caused by new Covid-19 variants.