BUSINESS groups are asking the government to exempt office and factory workers from mandatory wearing of face masks and shields in workplaces, as it adversely affects productivity.
In a letter addressed to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Silk Road International Chamber of Commerce (PSRICC), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport) hinted at a measure backed by research to be effective in blocking 99.9 percent of COVID-linked droplets.
The business groups proposed the “implementation of practical workplace protocols.” In its proposal, the business groups said the private sector is “one with government in helping ensure that the workplace is safe for our stakeholders.”
However, the groups said that except for the frontliners, “we respectfully take exception to the wearing of face shields inside the office and factories for the rest of our employees, since this can adversely affect their vision, physical safety and productivity.”
The business sector explained that wearing of face masks and face shields is particularly a serious concern for the construction and manufacturing industries such as electronics and automotives which work with minute parts and sensitive production lines.
“Please note that the situation in the workplace is not the same as on the streets, since office movements are controlled and guided by the safety and health protocols such as temperature checking, washing of hands and sanitizing footwear,” it said.
In August, the government required the wearing of face masks and face shields in workplaces amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that employers could be held administratively liable if this health measure will not be observed in the workplace, although non-observance will not result in closure of the workplace.
A study by research at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom found that covering the face can block the spread of COVID-19 linked droplets by 99.9 percent.