The suggested retail price of face shields, which will soon be required in public transportation, will not be higher than P50 each, the Department of Health said Wednesday.
Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in an interview on Unang Hirit, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III would approve first the recommended SRP before it would be transmitted to the Department of Trade and Industry.
"We made sure the price would be affordable so that our countrymen would not face an y financial difficulty,” Vergeire said.
The DTI earlier asked the DOH to impose an SRP for face shields in line with its mandatory use in public transportation starting August 15.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has proposed the wearing
of face shields for employees in workplaces as additional protection as the country grapples with the containment of the deadly COVID-19, Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.
“The measure will be confirmed in an Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) meeting with Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III this week,” Bello said in a radio interview.
“We are doing the health protocol for the workplaces. It would be confirmed after a meeting with IATF,” Bello said.
He said the proposed measure aimed to ensure the safety of workers while on duty, adding that the purchase of the face shields would be shouldered by employers.
Wearing of face shield will reduce the transmission of COVID-19, as workers and employers in the private sector are mandated to observe strict health protocols as the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) and General Community Quarantine (GCQ) remain in ffect, Bello said.
Aside from practicing social distancing, Bello noted that workplaces should also observe other sanitary and health protocols such as regular hand washing and temperature check.
Earlier, the Department of Transportation issued Memorandum Circular 2020-014, stating that wearing of face shields is mandatory for all public transportation passengers.
