DOH: Face mask mandate remains amid decline in Covid-19 cases

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MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday announced that the country’s face mask mandate would be maintained despite the drop in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that the mandate is unlikely to be lifted anytime soon especially with the election campaign season, where rigorous compliance with the minimum public health standards (MPHS) must be enforced to prevent any surge.

Despite the fact that the Philippines has already past the recent Omicron spike, Duque advises erring on the side of caution.

Hindi ako naniniwala na malapit na ‘yong panahon (na mawawala na ‘yong mask) kasi lalo na mayroon tayong campaign rallies lalo pa natin dapat paigtingin ang pagsunod sa MPHS (I don’t think we’re nearing the point where we can already remove the mask especially now with the campaign rallies where we must strengthen compliance to MPHS),” he said.

[M]aigi na ‘yong lagi tayong nag-i-ingat, hindi baleng tayo magkamali kung ‘yong pagkakamali naman nasa panig nga pag-i-ingat, ok lang ‘yon. Sa akin mas conservative ako, let’s continue to wear face mask dahil nakakatulong din naman to hindi lang (laban sa) Covid kundi sa pati sa influenza, tuberculosis, measles, mga airborne na sakit (It’s better to err on the side of caution. I’m more conservative when it comes to this, let’s continue to wear face mask because it also help us protect ourselves from influenza, tuberculosis, measles, and other airborne diseases),” he added.

Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stated that lifting the mandatory face mask will be possible only if the disease becomes endemic and the country’s cases become manageable.

“Our vision would be that the mask should be the last to go,” she said in a television interview.

“A lot of things are uncertain now and one of the things that we are relying on as we shift to new normal, meaning easing of restrictions would be that people would be imbibing that culture or that practice where the mask would be part of our daily lives, vaccination is there, and also the safety protocols,” she added.

The government continues to prepare the country as it slowly transitions into the new normal, according to Vergeire.

Many nations, primarily in Europe, have already abolished Covid-19 restrictions, which include the mandatory use of face masks.

Unlikely

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19, stated that the mandate to wear face masks is unlikely to be lifted by the end of the year.

“Sa ngayon po wala pa kaming discussion sa pagtatangal ng face mask. Kaya ang sinasabi ko po sa media na talagang ang last na tatanggalin natin siguro ‘yung mask kasi iyon ‘yung pinaka-defense po natin (As of now, there’s no discussion about scrapping the face mask mandate. That’s why I’ve been telling the media that the last that we will remove is probably the mask because that’s our best defense [against Covid]),” Galvez said in an interview over the DZBB’s Super Balita.

The face mask requirement will stay in place until Covid-19 is “completely eliminated,” according to Galvez, who is also the country’s vaccine czar.

“Ang rekomendasyon po namin talaga ay hanggang hindi pa natatapos ang pandemya at saka talaga secured na po na talagang eliminated na ang Covid-19 ay hindi po natin matatangal yung ating face mask (Our recommendation is that, until the pandemic ends and unless we’re secured that the Covid-19 is really eliminated, we can’t remove our face masks),” he said.

He stated that the government is still hopeful that the pandemic would be over by the end of the year.

Galvez urged people to avoid congested areas, particularly during election campaign events.

“Dapat maging self-aware tayo, dapat nandoon pa rin talaga yung pag-aalaga sa atin sarili (We must be conscious, we really must take care of ourselves),” he added.

Galvez also recommended that politicians must have their own health and safety marshals to ensure that public minimum health standards are adhered to throughout the campaign season.

House committees to hold hearings during break

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Spread the loveMANILA – The House of Representatives has authorized for its committees to conduct hearings during the five-week congressional break, extending until late April.

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