Use of face shields in 3C settings now voluntary in Davao

Davao City will no longer require the use of face shields in the 3C settings – crowded places, close contact, and confined and enclosed spaces and made it voluntary effective November 2, 2021.

Mayor Inday Sara Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) No. 51-A, Series of 2021, known as “An Order Providing For The Guidelines On The Use of Face Shields,” on November 2, 2021, revising EO 51 issued on September 30, 2021, that mandated the use of face shields in 3C settings as

“Face shields shall be for voluntary use in the 3Cs settings: crowded places, close-contact settings, and confined and enclosed spaces. For all other places, the use of the face shield shall not be required,” the mayor said in EO 51-A.

EO 51-A repealed or modified Executive Order No. 65-A series of 2020, known as “An Order Consolidating all the Issuances on the Use of Face Shields and all other orders or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.”

The EO defined crowded places as areas where there is a mass gathering of individuals, which include but are not limited to swab sites, vaccination sites, evacuation centers, assistance distribution, and Comelec voters’ registration.

It also defined close contact settings as contact between individuals within six feet of each other for a total of 15 minutes or more while
confined and enclosed spaces referred to indoor structures with roofs and walls and without open windows.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution No. 68, s. 2020 dated September 3, 2020, mandated the use of a face shield with a face mask in the following places: supermarkets, public markets, malls; and venues where government-initiated meetings and critical government services are being conducted or provided.

The City Government of Davao, through EO 65-A series of 2020, also required its employees and clients/visitors to wear a face shield and face mask inside its buildings and rooms.

The non-compliance with the mandatory use of face shield often ranks among the top three COVID-19 protocol violations in Davao City.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier announced that face shields shall not be required to be worn outdoors. This, after he announced on September 22, 2021 a policy to limit the use of face shields to the 3Cs as recommended by the Technical Advisory Group.

Mayor Duterte, meanwhile, issued EO 65-A Series of 2020, which cited the issuances of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Memorandum Circular 2020-014 dated August 3, 2020, that mandates the wearing of face shield with a face mask for all passengers in areas where public transportation is allowed; Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Joint Memorandum Circular 20-04-A dated August 15, 2020, which also mandates the use of face shield with face mask; and the Inter-Agency Task Force that mandates the use of face shield with face mask in supermarkets, public markets, malls, and in venues where government-initiated meetings and critical government services are being conducted.

For the full provisions of EO 51-A, check it out at https://dcstaging.davaocity.gov.ph/transparency/executive-orders/2021-executive-orders/. CIO