Wearing of face shields in Western Visayas, which was placed under Alert Level 2 for the remainder of November, will now be just voluntarily.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said private establishments must follow the national government’s policy of making the use of face shields voluntary in areas under Alert Levels 1, 2 and 3.

“Private establishments would have to follow the protocols. When it is voluntary, it means it is the personal choice of the person,” Nograles said during a Malacañang virtual presser yesterday.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday approved the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) recommendation to mandate the use of face shields only in areas under Alerts Level 4 and 5.

To recall, the IATF-EID, on December 14, 2020, issued Resolution 88, requiring all persons to wear full-coverage face shields on top of face masks in all public places to control the spread of the COVID-19./WDJ