Duterte made this statement after he convened a group of medical experts along with National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 in Malacañang on Monday evening (November 29) amid the existence of the Omicron variant.
“In the meantime, if --- prudence would just dictate that maybe we’ll be strict again and you the Task Force, you have to sort it out whether we have to reimpose the shield, ” he said.
The President said he assured the public that the government is ramping up preparations for its possible entry and vowed to implement all measures to safeguard the safety of the people.
For his part, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the government will reimpose the mandatory use of a face shield once the Omicron variant enters the country.
Año said the government has not totally discarded the use of face shield and it was only integrated on the Alert Level System.
In jurisdictions under Alert Level 1, 2, 3, the use of face shield is voluntary, while those under Alert Level 4, local government units (LGUs) have the discretion for its mandatory use. Under Alert Level 5, face shield use is mandatory.
Año also told Duterte that the government has already instituted border controls, and suggested intensifying the monitoring of the country’s porous southern border.
He said Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) were given directives to strengthen border patrols and monitoring in the area. (Armando Fenequito)
Photo courtesy of Presidential Communications FB Page