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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos mulls IATF proposal to make mask-wearing optional

Marcos mulls IATF proposal to make mask-wearing optional

Published Sep 10, 2022 03:47 pm

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will study the recommendation of the government's Covid-19 pandemic task force to make wearing face masks outdoors optional.

President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. meets Health and Interior officials to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the country. (Photo from Bongbong Marcos Facebook page)

Marcos said this after the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases recommended allowing the optional wearing of face masks outdoors.

In a Facebook post, the President said he had met with officials from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to discuss the coronavirus situation in the country.

"Nagagalak tayong malaman na dahil sa ating pinaigting na pagbabakuna ay patuloy ang pagbaba ng bilang ng mga nagpopositibo (We're happy to find out that there is a decreasing number of people catching the disease as we intensify our vaccination)," he wrote.

"Kaugnay nito, atin ngayong pinag-aaralan ang rekomendasyon ng IATF ukol sa opsyonal na pagsusuot ng face mask (With this, we're studying the recommendation of the IATF about the optional wearing of face masks)," he added.

The President's meeting came after he completed his State Visit to Singapore, a country that allows the voluntary wearing of face masks in public places aside from public transport and health facilities.

In proposing the mask-off policy, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, citing data from Southeast Asian nations, said there was no significant difference between the number of Covid-19 cases in areas where the wearing of face masks was mandatory and where they were partially or wholly lifted as long as minimum public health standards are strictly observed.

DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire backed the proposal but urged the public to continue wearing one.

To date, the country has recorded 3,901,033 Covid-19 cases.

As of September 9, a total of 161,497,618 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered in the country.

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Bongbong Marcos covid-19 Face masks IATF President Marcos
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