The Department of Health (DOH) is encouraging the public, especially those who belong to the vulnerable sector, to still use a face mask when going to shopping malls.
“Sana po lahat tayo ay alam ang ating risk level, alam natin kung kailan tayo pipiliin na magtanggal ng mask, o kailan pipiliin na dapat nakasuot tayo ng mask (We hope that everybody knows their risk level–when should we wear our masks or not),” said DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press briefing on Friday, Nov. 4.
“Kapag tayo ay vulnerable: nakakatanda, comorbidities, hindi bakunado, may kasamang vulnerable sa ating bahay, piliin natin na lagi tayong naka mask sa loob ng establishments (If we are vulnerable: elderly, with comorbidities, unvaccinated, have close contact with a vulnerable person at home—always choose to wear a mask inside establishments),” she added.
Even if the government has allowed the optional wearing of face masks in indoor settings, Vergeire urged the mall establishments to still encourage mall goers to wear masks.
“Tulungan po natin ang ating gobyerno na pangalagaan ang mga taong mas mataas ang risk na magkaroon ng Covid-19 (Let's help the government in protecting people who are at higher risk of contracting Covid-19),” she said.
“Sana kahit na meron tayong ganitong patakaran, i-encourage pa rin natin itong mga sektor ng populasyon na kailangan naka mask pa rin even in indoor spaces, (I hope that even if we have this policy, we will still encourage these sectors of the population to still wear masks)” she added.
Meanwhile, Vergeire believes that Filipinos already have that “learned behavior” of using face masks since the country has been fighting the pandemic for two years.
“I can attest to how Filipinos are behaving right now. Even though the government already provided policies on voluntary masking outdoors and indoors, but still, you'd find a lot of Filipinos still complying with the masking outdoors and indoors,” she said.
Last Oct. 28, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. issued Executive No. 7 that allows the voluntary wearing of face masks in indoor and outdoor spaces.