EDITORIAL - Tough choice

Many people are now balking at the proposal to reimpose the wearing of face shields if the Omicron variant enters the Philippines.

“Pag pumasok yung Omicron at tumaas yung alert level, ii-impose ulit natin,” said Interior Secretary Eduardo Año recently.

For now there is no need to do so. While the Omicron variant has been detected and is spreading in other countries, it has not yet arrived here. While we hope to God it doesn’t, we also say “yet” because it might only be a matter of time before it gets here. Just like COVID-19 when many of us thought it wouldn’t and just like the Delta variant when many of us thought it wouldn’t, too.

We acknowledge that face shields are a pain. They are cannot be easily brought anywhere or stored. They get in the way of almost everything we do every day. In some people they even hinder breathing and impede vision. Many would rather do away with them entirely, saying they do not offer any protection at all.

But it is also worth mentioning that it was the people who made face shields ineffective against the coronavirus --or any infection for that matter-- by wearing them improperly, sometimes as headbands, sometimes as protectors for the back of their head. What they were protecting in that area exactly, we don’t know.

Any added barrier between our mouth and nose and the mouth and nose of another person is an added layer of protection, no matter how cumbersome or inconvenient it is.

Don’t get us wrong, we would really rather not wear face shields for the reasons mentioned above, but if these can offer some degree of protection between people --many of whom are becoming more and more complacent regarding safety protocols as time goes by-- and a new threat, then it’s worth a little inconvenience.

When the times comes, would you rather wear a bit of protective plastic or chance being exposed to a new variant that may even be more contagious and deadly than the Delta variant?