Masks

Mask mandate

September 13, 2022 People's Tonight 238 views

THE government has decreed that the people may now take off their masks in outdoor and other well-ventillated areas, drawing mixed reactions from various sectors of Philippine society.

The order is contained in Executive Order No. 3 relaxing the mask mandate as recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

Despite opposition from health experts and some lawmakers, President Marcos issued the order, noting that many countries across the globe have liberalized their mask mandates.

Besides, the executive order also noted that as of September 6 (Tuesday), 72 million of the more than 110 million Filipinos, including senior citizens, were fully vaccinated.

In fact, “we are happy to announce that we are six percent away from the wall of immunity,” according to Press Secretary Trixie Cruz Angeles, a lawyer.

Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, a former secretary of the Department of Health, described as “premature” the government move to make the wearing of face mask as optional.

Garin said that “we are taking a huge risk in relaxing the protocol,” adding “that there are questions that should be answered before we have a final decision on the mask policy.”

One of the questions, she said, is: “If you get sick, will this medicine be given free?.”

By easing the mask mandate, government authorities are on track reopening the struggling local economy.

But in the view of many, there’s still the need to intensify the vaccination program since the virus is not any less dangerous just because we’ve decided that masks are optional.

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