MANILA, October 28 ------ Face masks are still "required" in public transport and medical facilities despite a government plan to ease the mask mandate, the Department of Health said.
The agency said mask-wearing would be "optional" indoors except in some settings.
Masks are required in the following areas, it said.
• Healthcare facilities including but not limited to clinics, hospitals, laboratories, nursing homes, dialysis clinics
• Medical transport
• Public transport
The agency made the clarification after DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the wearing of mask in public transport is "highly encouraged". "There was this agreement naman with the IATF that we will have a unified messaging wherein we still highly encouraged the wearing of masks especially in high-risk areas katulad ng public transport, katulad ng healthcare facilities, katulad ng mga vulnerable natin, mga nakakatanda, mga buntis," she told ANC's "Headstart".
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco disclosed recently that the government is planning to lift the mandatory wearing of masks in indoor settings. Unvaccinated individuals, persons with comorbidities and older people are still "highly encouraged" to wear masks, she said. The Philippines is also set to waive other health protocols for travelers, including the requirement of presenting negative RT-PCR test results upon arrival, she added. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to issue an executive order for this.
As the government plans to further relax pandemic protocols, Vergeire said COVID-19 cases are expected to rise. She also noted the threat of highly transmissible variants of the virus. "But what we can say right now would be comparing to the previous years in this pandemic, we are better prepared. We have the tools already. We are moving forward. We need to realize that the virus is here to stay with us," she said. "It's just like the flu actually na kailangan lang mapreserba natin na 'yung severe and critical ay hindi tataas and also our hospital admissions ay manageable," she added. Relaxing the mask rule, Vergeire said, could result to up to 18,000 daily COVID-19 cases towards the end of the year.
Vergeire urged the public to get their booster. "Now that we are easing our restrictions, one of the major things that can protect us would be the vaccines," she said.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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