By Gabriela Baron
Department of Health (DOH) Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire reiterated Wednesday, Sept. 7, that wearing of face masks is still “highly encouraged” for senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals.
This after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) recommended the optional use of face masks outdoors.
“I would like to emphasize na ang atin pong pagsusuot ng mask ay highly encouraged pa rin lalung-lalo na po sa ating senior citizens and those vulnerable to the disease… Dahil sila po ‘yung tinatamaan ng malubhang sakit ng COVID-19,” Vergeire stressed.
Vergeire said lifting of the mandatory mask mandate will be piloted towards the last quarter of 2022, provided that there is an improvement of COVID-19 booster coverage in the country.
BASAHIN: Inirerekomenda na ng IATF na gawing boluntaryo na ang pagsusuot ng face mask sa outdoor, non-crowded area, at mga lugar na may magandang bentilasyon. Ngunit ang mga senior citizen at mga immunocompromised individual ay inaasahan pa ring magsusuot ng face mask. pic.twitter.com/8ZMwEuX5U2
— PTVph (@PTVph) September 7, 2022
“Itong indoor masking ay pag-aaralan pa ng IATF kasama ng ating mga eksperto at atin pong gagawa tayo ng pilot study on this to determine kung kakayanin na po ng ating health sector ang ating indoor masking towards the end of the year if booster coverage will improve in the country,” she added.
“We need to do this in phases so we can ensure that our population is protected from COVID,” she continued.
Vergeire noted that they are planning to initially implement the voluntary face mask mandate on select places in the country with low-risk individuals and low-risk settings.
Low-risk individuals, she further explained, are healthy adults, while low-risk settings include open spaces, non-crowded areas, and well-ventilated spots.
Cebu is the first province in the country that passed an ordinance making the wearing of face masks in open spaces optional. –ag
