MANILA — People in outdoor spaces are not required to wear face shields, Malacanang said Monday, as the inter-agency task force on COVID-19 no longer appealed against calls of various sectors to drop the plastic barrier.

"Sa mga nagtatanong, 'Kailangan pa ba ang face shield?' Ang malinaw ganito: hindi na po kinakailangan ng face shield sa labas kasi hindi naman po inapela 'yan ng IATF. Ang inapela lang ng IATF 'yong pagsuot ng face shield sa loob," said President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque.

(The policy on face shields will be one topic. To those asking, 'Are face shields still needed?' What is clear is this: face shields are no longer mandatory outdoors. The IATF appealed for the use of face shields indoors.)

Duterte later Monday will also discuss the policy on the use of face shields indoors, said Roque.

Duterte last week limited the use of face shields at hospitals. But the IATF urged him to require the coverings in more public places.

"Ang polisiya sa face shields ang isa sa mapag-uusapan," he said in a press briefing.

The IATF called for the use of face shields in the "enclosed/indoor spaces of hospitals, schools, workplaces, commercial establishments (such as but not limited to food establishments, malls and public markets), public transport and terminals, and places of worship," Roque said last week.

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv

"While waiting for the President’s decision on the matter, the existing policy on the use of face shields remains in effect," he had said in a statement.

• Duterte memo on face shields out 'this week,' says Nograles

The Philippines has the second highest COVID-19 tally in Southeast Asia, with about 1.3 million coronavirus infections and some 23,000 deaths.

Video courtesy of PTV