While the use of Face Shields is waning, the Department of Health is planning for another crazy contraption you wear to your heads: safety goggles!

We like DOH, they can seriously find ways of banking to ordinary citizens while also sugarcoating the effects by saying these products are relevantly safe.

Due to the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, some local government units are slowly deciding on the removal of face shields, apart from public transportation and hospitals. Theaters are starting to open, arcades, entertainment centres and even some sports arenas are slowly opening as well. In fact, the city of Manila has decided to permanently remove the requirement of face shields.

However, due to this relaxation, the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) has worries over the sudden surge of COVID-19 numbers again. In a report by CNN, a health official said that they suggested the use of goggles in replacement of the ineffective face shields.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vegeire discussed this matter with health officials last Monday,8th November. According to her, the use of goggles instead of face shields are a part of a series of discussions in protecting the face in aerosols and droplets that spread through the air.

“Iyan talaga ang direction ng paguusap. Primarily kaya natin minandate na ang face shields ay gamitin natin for us to protect our eyes because there are evidence to state na ang COVID-19 can also penetrate ang eyes natin at pwede tayo maimpeksyon,” she said in a media briefing.

TRANSLATION: “That’s where our discussion was going. We mandated face shields primarily to protect our eyes as there are evidences to state that COVID-19 can also penetrate through our eyes and cause infection to ourselves and others”

She added, “Pinaguusapan lahat ito, the possibility of these goggles and the others, nandyan po iyan.” (“We were discussing about these, the possibility of [using] these goggles and the others, it’s all part of it”)

DOH will submit this recommendation over the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) for further discussions and approval. In the meantime, LGUs are recommended to follow the current mandate.

Source: CNN Philippines