Should Metro Manila lift its face mask mandate amid the Covid-19 pandemic? A health expert said no.
Health reform advocate and former special adviser of the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon, on Friday, June 10, urged the national government to retain the face mask requirement in Metro Manila, adding that complacency should have no place in a country with low booster rate, especially amid emerging Covid-19 variants.
“Sa aking palagay, hindi pa dapat tayo magtanggal ng masks dito sa National Capital Region (NCR) dahil ito yung tinatawag na epicenter. Dito nanggagaling yung mga travelers that will go to destinations outside of NCR, either for vacation or for going home sa probinsya (In my opinion, we should not remove masks here in the NCR because this is the so-called epicenter of the virus. Travelers who are either going for a vacation outside the NCR, or going home in their province usually come from the region),” said Leachon in an interview over DZRH
While Metro Manila remained at the low risk Covid-19 classification, experts disclosed that there has been a notable uptick in the region’s positivity rate, reproduction number, and hospital bed occupancy.
The OCTA Research group, on Thursday evening, June 9, reported that the region’s reproduction number is currently at 1.20. Experts say that a high reproduction number indicates that there is also a high virus transmission in the region.
Meanwhile, based on the report, Metro Manila’s positivity rate is at 2.2 percent. Although it has yet to reach the benchmark of at least 5 percent, OCTA reiterated that there is already an increase in the region’s Covid-19 determinants.
Leachon likewise underscored that the removal of the face mask mandate may pose a risk, considering that the number of boosted FIlipinos remained low at 14, 438,542 as of June 4, 2022.
“Ako ay siguristang doktor. Kapag nagawa natin ‘yung booster na mas mataas – at least 50 million, doon lang ako matatahimik. Magiging resilient at protected ang population natin, kaya dapat ay lagyan natin ng timeline yun (I am a cautious doctor. When we make the booster higher – at least 50 million, only then can I be calm. Our population will be resilient and protected, so we must put a timeline on that),” he added.
The Department of Health (DOH), on the other hand, also urged the public to continuously adhere to the minimum public health standards against Covid-19. This includes the use of face masks and the observance of physical distancing, especially in crowded areas.