The Iloilo City Council has not decided yet whether to amend or not the city’s Face Mask/Face Shield Ordinance but Mayor Jerry P. Treñas affirmed that his announcement to scrap the use of face shield stays.

Citing the low cases of COVID-19 and high vaccination rate, Treñas wrote to the city council to suspend the mandatory use of face shields by amending Regulatory Ordinance No. 2020-06.

However, after deliberating and conflicting ideas during yesterday’s regular session, the city council upon the motion of Councilor Ely Estante decided to refer Treñas’ request to the Committee on Health chaired by Councilor Alan Zaldivar.

For his part, Estante considered the appeal of the national government to the local government units (LGUs) to wait for the final decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases regarding the removal of face shield as additional protection against COVID-19. He further cited the request of the spokesperson of the Department of Health, Dr. Maria Rosario Vergerie, that they will be coming up with a recommendation on Thursday.

Councilor Candice Magdalane Tupas, meanwhile, commented that based on the World Health Organization, the use of face shield is actually required for health care workers within health facilities.

Zaldivar, on the other hand, vowed to fast track the study of the request of the city mayor.

Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the orders nixing the mandatory use of face shields in crowded and enclosed spaces were “null and void.”

But this was rebutted by the city mayor.

“Harry Roque came up with the theory that all LGUs must follow the chain of command. As a local chief executive, the Local Government Code provides that local governments have local autonomy. Under a pandemic, the LGUs all comply with all health standards, but the matter of the face shield is not backed by medical or scientific studies,” Treñas said.

For his part, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said that local chief executives can lift the mandatory use of face shields in public places even without seeking approval from the IATF. (Glenda Tayona)/WDJ