(File photo)
MANILA – Malacañang on Monday reminded the public to ensure “safety first” during holiday celebrations by continuing to comply with minimum public health standards amid the threat of Omicron variant of Covid-19.
“In consideration of your activities, advice ko po ay (my advice is) safety first,” Cabinet Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a Palace press briefing.
Aside from wearing face masks, washing hands, and keeping distance, Nograles urged the public to participate in the country’s three-day national vaccination days from November 29 to December 1, dubbed “Bayanihan, Bakunahan.”
“Napaka importante po yung pagpapabakuna natin ngayon (It is very important to get vaccinated). Let’s take advance of this three-day national vaccination na magpabakuna na tayo (to get vaccinated) to fully protect ourselves and our families. Pangalawa po, yung mask, hugas, iwas napaka importante (Second, wearing masks, washing hands is important) as we go into the December month,” he added.
Nograles said the national government is prepared for the worst-case scenario should there be another surge in Covid-19 cases.
“Naka-active na ang ating Four-Door Policy para hindi po makapasok yung Omicron sa bansa at anumang variant (We have activated our Four-Door Policy to prevent the Omicron variant from entering the country),” he said.
The Four-Door Policy includes border control, active surveillance including test and trace, early isolation and treatment of all those who tested positive, and Covid-19 vaccination program.
The Omicron variant, which was first detected in Botswana, Southern Africa, has been declared as a variant "of concern" by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO, however, said there is no evidence so far concerning the transmissibility or severity of the Omicron variant.
"It is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible (e.g., more easily spread from person to person) compared to other variants, including Delta," the organization said in a statement on Sunday.
Face shield
Meanwhile, Nograles said the Palace is supportive of the plan of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 to reimplement the mandatory face shield policy to help fight the spread of new Covid-19 variants.
“As it stands, ganun pa rin po. Yung latest resolution ng IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases] tungkol sa face shields, ito ay mandatory sa mga healthcare settings at sa ibang settings naman po ay voluntary siya (it’s still the same. The latest resolution of the IATF on face shields is it’s mandatory in healthcare settings but voluntary in other settings),” he said.
Citing health experts, he said face shields provide added protection against the highly-infectious virus.
“If we ask the experts, of course, it is an added layer of protection so while it is voluntary, siyempre, ako (of course, I) personally, I would like to encourage ating mga kababayan kung kaya naman po, magsuot ng face shield, ay magsuot tayo ng face shield para dagdag proteksyon na lamang po. But ang pinaka minimum talaga yung masking (Our citizens to wear face shields because they provided added protection," he added.
On Sunday, NTF chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez said the government is eyeing the reimplementation of the mandatory face shield policy amid the emergency of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
“We will look at the possibility. He [Health Secretary Francisco Duque III] is pro na maibalik ang any protection na pwede nating gamitin (He [favors] the return of any protection that we can use). Some people from the World Health Organization also believe that we had a good campaign against the Delta variant as compared to other [countries] because of the added protection due to face shields,” Galvez said.
On November 15, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the IATF to lift the mandatory use of face shields and only making them voluntary in areas under Alert Level 1 to 3.
In areas under Alert Level 4, the face shield policy is left to the discretion of local government units (LGUs) and private establishments.
The mandatory face shield policy remains in areas under Alert Level 5 and in areas that are closed crowded, and close contact (3Cs) is likely to occur such as hospitals and other medical facilities. (PNA)
