Employees to wear face mask, face shield in work place starting Aug. 15

August 12, 2020

Employees will wear face masks and face shields when they are at work, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Wednesday.

In an interview, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III this is one of the  provisions in amended health and safety protocols in workplaces is requiring face shields beginning August 15.

"Effective August 15, it won't just be face mask you shall be using at work. You must also have face shields. That's one of the new protocols now," said Bello.

He said the need for face sheilds is to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in workplaces.

"It's because transmission isn't limited to the nose, it may also go through the eyes," pointed Bello.

Bello said the labor department is looking at the possibility of requiring employers to provide face sheilds.

"Since it will just be a one-time purchase, it may not be that taxing for employers," he said.

Bello said if employees do not wear face shields, they cannot enter their place of work.

If employers refuse to implement the face shield requirement, Bello said  the penalty will ''possibly be an administrative penalty or reminder."

The revised safety protocols in workplaces has yet to be signed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). DMS