DAVAO City is prepared for the possible implementation of optional wearing of face mask indoors, said Davao City Health Office (CHO) head Dr. Ashley Lopez on Tuesday, October 25.
“We have been prepared all along. Confident rin tayo because of our high vaccination coverage in the city and we have not eased down,” Lopez told SunStar Davao.
This is amid the announcement of Department of Tourism secretary Christina Frasco that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will make the wearing of face masks voluntary in indoor settings following the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“As a result of the Cabinet meeting this morning, it was agreed that the President will be issuing an executive order, per the IATF recommendation, to make indoor mask wearing also voluntary all over the Philippines, with few exceptions," she said on October 25.
However, unvaccinated individuals, people with comorbidities, and senior citizens are still highly encouraged to keep wearing face masks.
Lopez said the official executive order of the president must be released first before the mandate can be implemented in Davao City.
He added that the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force will discuss the appropriate steps regarding the matter unless Mayor Sebastian Duterte would be the first to give an order adopting the EO immediately.
“(The mandate is) conditional. As long as those vulnerable, seniors and unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated, will still comply. If the mayor stands on his previous instruction to follow the national guidelines then we might,” the CHO head said.
Earlier, Duterte gave the green light to immediately adopt Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 3 last month which allows the optional wearing of face masks in outdoor settings except indoors, public or private establishments, and public transportation.
If ever the face mask mandate would be completely lifted, Lopez said Davao City would be able to cope well in terms of health and safety but admitted that there would be risks to face.
“There will still be Covid brought about by the essential mutations of the virus strains but at least manageable na because severity is being lessened by our vaccination. This time we just need to remain vigilant and be able to determine situational risks and act on it,” he said. (ICM)