Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced that starting Aug. 15, all employees must wear face shields and masks as agreed upon by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID). Bello also proposed that the employers must shoulder the expenses for the purchase of face shields.

“Ang proposal ng IATF is the employer. Tutal one time lang naman eh. Minsan ka lang naman bibili at ‘di naman masyadong mabigat,” says Bello.

Employees who will be non-compliant will face penalties while businesses who will not implement the new health and safety protocol will receive administrative sanctions. However, Bello adds that negligence to the mandate doesn’t necessarily equate to closure of the establishment.

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