The Department of Health on Wednesday recommended the continuous wearing of face masks until the end of the year, citing the protection it gives against COVID-19 and other communicable diseases as well.
The public cannot be too complacent in practicing minimum health standards as the threat of COVID subvariants remains, DOH spokesperson Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
"As part of the Department of Health and a medical doctor, I would say that I would still recommend it until the end of the year," Vergeire told ANC when asked if the mask mandate will stay until year end.
"You know the mask did not only protect us against COVID-19, it also protected us from other respiratory infections. Even with this monkeypox, we can be protected from the monkeypox just by wearing a mask," she added.
EXPLAINER: Why Face Masks are Still Essential After the Pandemic
Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia recently issued an order making the wearing of face masks in open, well-ventilated spaces in the provinces optional, but Vergeire said such a policy may be too risky.
"If you as a local government would announce that to the public, that might be very risky especially now that we are having this increase in cases, especially now that subvariants have entered the country, especially now that the country has waning immunity," Vergeire said.
"Remember, the virus crosses borders. So even though they say na dito lang naman sa amin gagawin yan, pero nagc-cross pa rin ng borders, everybody's traveling, so this transmission will not really stop if we are going to implement this way," she added.
Malacañang on Tuesday said the mandatory wearing of face masks in public spaces remains in force, citing the primacy of national policy over local government issuances.
The Philippines made the wearing of face masks mandatory in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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