PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Officer-in-Charge, Lieutenant General Vicente D. Danao Jr. yesterday said they will continue strictly enforcing the face mask rule since the danger of another deadly COVID-19 surge remains.

Thus, he said that police nationwide are under orders to keep fully implementing the minimum public health safety protocols issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases specifically the mandatory wearing of face masks in all public places and the observance of physical distancing.

The top cop said all 17 police regional offices are under instruction to continue strictly enforcing minimum public health safety protocols in their areas as part of their effort to prevent another wide transmission of the virus.

Thus, police will go after individuals who are violating government protocols on physical distancing and the mandatory wearing of face masks in public places to prevent another COVID-19 outbreak in any part of the country, Lt. Gen. Danao explained.

According to PNP Public Information Office chief, Brigadier General Roderick Augustus B. Alba, “the DILG has already given a clear directive for concerned agencies and LGUs to continue implementing measures that impose observance to Minimum Public Health Standards under different Alert Levels. Thus, the PNP will continue to enforce the standing orders and directives against those violators of the facemask rule.”

In the wake of the DILG instruction, the Police Regional Office 7 in Central Visayas headed by Brig. Gen. Roque Edgardo DP Vega and other regional offices nationwide have to comply with the DILG directive and will go after violators of the face mask rule,’ he said.

“We will also continue to warn and remind the public not to relax as COVID-19 is still in our surrounding. We urge the public for cooperation to government measures on public health set by the National IATF,” Alba added.

Last June 4, the IATF’s latest guidelines said that under Alert Level 1, wearing of face masks remained mandatory at all times, whether outdoors or indoors, in private or public establishments including public transportation by land, air or sea.

Sec. Año had stressed that it was President Duterte himself who ordered that wearing of face masks be continued except under circumstances defined by the IATF.

Exceptions to the face mask rule are when eating or drinking, engaging in sports in well-ventilated venues and in outdoor sports or exercises where physical distancing can be maintained.

The Department of Health earlier confirmed the local transmission in the country of BA.2.12.1, a more contagious but less deadly version of Omicron, a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

In Metro Manila, National Capital Region Police Office director, Major Gen. Felipe R. Natividad said he has ordered all five NCRPO districts to continue fully enforcing government health protocols to fight the virus.

The official issued the order after Dr. Rontgene Solante, the head of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Unit of the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila said that a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases is expected due to the exposure of thousands of people in different rallies as well as the national and local elections last May 9.

Solante, also a member of the government’s vaccine expert panel lamented that despite the recorded dominant omicron variant in the Philippines, BA.2. , and constant reminders from the government , most Filipinos who went out on election day to vote failed to comply with the minimum health protocols.

In view of the medical expert’s warning, Maj. Gen. Natividad reminded the public anew to strictly observe minimum public health protocols specifically the wearing of face masks, observance of physical distancing and if possible, avoiding crowded places.

He also further directed the five NCRPO districts to strictly enforcing the health protocols alongside with their intensified campaign against criminality, drugs and terrorism.

“Weeks prior to the election, several gatherings were already conducted. COVID-19 is still here and we do not know what would happen on the coming days. Therefore, we must observe and protect ourselves. Hindi tayo dapat magpakampante. Panatilihin natin ang pag-iingat nasaan man tayo upang ligtas tayo sa pag uwi sa ating mga pamilya,” said the Metro Manila police director.

The DILG has also directed all local government units to fully partner with the PNP in strictly enforcing minimum public health safety protocols in their jurisdiction. This is being done thru increased police and LGU personnel deployment specifically those from the barangays.

As instructed by the DILG, LGUs should have already enacted local ordinances providing sanctions to those who violate the minimum health standards set by the national government thru the Interagency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).

The DILG leadership maintained that if the ordinance passed by LGUs have no penal clause, they should be amended to provide them more teeth in implementing the law.