AIRASIA Philippines said the optional wearing of face masks outdoors is a welcome development for the travel industry as it will attract more leisure travelers in a bid to stir economic activity.

Executive Order (EO) 3 signed on Monday by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. no longer requires people to wear face masks in open areas with good ventilation.

The optional wearing of face masks outdoors was proposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) following the clamor from several industries, as well as the Department of Tourism, to relax restrictions on wearing face masks in open-air settings to attract more tourists to come to the Philippines and spur economic recovery.

Even with the development, the budget carrier reminds its guests that wearing of face masks is still required in all public transportation, especially in enclosed spaces such as airports and airplanes.

“We remain committed to implementing stringent health protocols on ground and in flight set by the IATF and firmly enforced by the aviation regulatory bodies. The signing of EO 3 is very timely since we are expecting more guests both foreign and local during ‘Ber’ months. People can now enjoy fresh air outdoors and feel a sense of normalcy in our day to day lives,” company spokesperson and head of communications and public affairs Steve Dailisan said.

The local governments of Cebu and Iloilo have previously carried out optional face mask testing this month and have so far not seen a significant increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.