Even though he welcomes the decision of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to make the wearing of face masks indoors optional, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go reiterated his appeal to the Executive to strengthen further the country’s vaccination efforts, particularly the booster rate which remains as one of the lowest in Southeast Asia.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography said the safety of the Filipino people remains his primary concern.
"Given the continuing threats of fast evolving variants of the virus, the vaccine remains our only tool to fully overcome this pandemic," Go said in a statement.
"Hangad nating lahat na bumalik sa normal ang ating buhay. Pero kahit gagawing boluntaryo na ang pagsusuot ng face masks, huwag pa rin tayong magkumpiyansa, (We all want our lives to return to normal. But even if the wearing of face masks becomes optional, let's not be complacent," the senator said.
Go noted that as of October 23, only 3,310,032 Filipinos, or 4.24 percent of the target population, have received their second booster dose, while 20,472,983, or 26.21 percent of the target population, have received their first booster dose.
The Philippine's booster rates are considered as one of the lowest in Southeast Asia.
Despite this, the senator said he welcomes measures and policies that are geared towards renormalizing life amid the pandemic, such as the announcement on voluntary wearing of masks indoors provided that “clear and specific guidelines are set to still ensure the safety of every Filipino.”
"Like my appeal before to our compatriots, if it is not difficult or an obstacle for you to wear a mask, let's wear a mask anyway because it gives us extra protection against the disease," the lawmaker reiterated.
"In addition to personal precautions, let's also protect our companions who have weak immunity, those who are sick, those who have not been vaccinated, those who have immunocompromised housemates, and the elderly who are more vulnerable to contracting the disease," reminded Go.
"We don't know who can infect or be infected in our community or when we return to our own houses," he added.