.jpg "Sekolah Kebangsaan Section 7 students on their first day back at school in Shah Alam July 22, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa")
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — Primary school students have been granted leniency when it comes to personal protective equipment and are now allowed to use face shields in lieu of face masks, said Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
In his bi-weekly Covid-19 press conference, the senior minister (security) said that the government had received a lot of complaints as well as requests from the poorer segments of society who cannot afford the RM1 three-ply face masks.
“It is a burden to poorer families. It costs RM1 to buy a face mask. If a family has five kids, that’s RM5 a day. That’s just on face masks alone, not even their pocket money. So, now we will allow them to wear a face shield.
“The Health Ministry has agreed to allow primary school children to use face shields but we still encourage the use of both — face masks and face shields — for those who can afford it,” said Ismail Sabri.
He added that face shields cost around RM3 to RM5 each, and unlike daily disposable face masks, one can last a few months.
At the same time, he said that the Health Ministry will come up with a guideline on how to wash and care for face shields.
