DOH Speaks on Mandatory Face Mask Policy
DOH – The Department of Health asserted that the wearing of a face mask is still mandatory amid the lifting of the policy in Cebu.
The situations in several countries across the globe have yet to fully return to the normal pre-COVID pandemic settings. In some cases, some authorities stress that people must learn to live with a new setting as the pandemic really takes years. Currently, it is more than two (2) years since the pandemic started.
One of the effects of the pandemic on the people’s way of living is the mandatory wearing of face mask. It was implemented in most countries most especially during the peak of the coronavirus cases. Several nations have lifted the said policy following the drop in their cases.
In the Philippines, the wearing of face mask outdoors remain mandatory as per the Department of Health (DOH). However, recently, Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia issued an executive order lifting the mandatory wearing of face mask outdoors.
The move of Garcia makes the wearing of face mask option in open spaces and well-ventilated areas. According to Cebu’s Governor, the COVID-19 situation in the province has improved and other countries like Singapore has already made the wearing of face mask optional in open spaces.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, DOH stressed that the wearing of face mask outdoors is still mandatory most especially in public areas. According to health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is already coordinating regarding the executive order released by the provincial government of Cebu.
Vergeire stressed that the matter must first be consulted with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases as it is the body implementing the protocols in the fight against the pandemic across the nation. According to her, it is still not time to lift the mandatory face mask policy because there are still threats of the virus.
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