Prior to implementing the "optional" face mask policy, Mayor Duterte wants to observe its results.
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/10 Sep) - Mayor Sebastian Duterte said the local government of Davao would only adopt the "optional" wearing of face masks if there is proof that it could not lead to a rise in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. However, he is open to the idea of loosening the strict face mask policy in outdoor spaces.
On Friday, Mayor Sebastian Duterte indicated on Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR"Special )'s Hour with Mayor Sebastian Duterte" show that he would prefer to wait and see how this would work out in other local government units before implementing it in the city.
When Malacaang announced on September 7 that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) had advised making the use of face masks outdoors "optional" nationally, Duterte responded.
However, he said that Dr. Ashley Lopez, the director of the City Health Office (CHO), had advocated maintaining the current regional rule requiring face mask use in public until the end of this year.
A person who is "found not wearing a face mask in public areas shall be fined with a fee of P500 for the first violation; P2,000 for the second offense; and P5,000 or one-month imprisonment for the third offense," according to City Ordinance No. 0307-20, passed on July 23, 2020.
Duterte stated that he would want to extend the ban on face masks until December. He said in the local dialect, "I want to observe what will happen to the provinces, towns, and cities that will apply the voluntary wearing of face masks.
In light of the ongoing threat posed by COVID-19, he continued, the local government would introduce the voluntary wearing of masks if it can no longer threaten the safety of the Dabawenyos.
Duterte added, "I don't want us to launch it first since the matter of COVID is so tiring. If we see that it comes out OKOK for them, then we'll follow.
The COVID-19 surge, which has already burdened Davao for more than two years, is something the mayor stated he does not want the city to deal with again.
According to Duterte, he does not want to enact a law that would result in the deaths of Dabawenyos.
Then, if that's okay, we'll make it optional, he said. "Let's just wait until December, or maybe even before December. Let's look at the data from other locations.
Duterte declared on September 2 that the local government would have to wait for a national government instruction about the face mask policy.
Trixie Cruz-Angeles, the press secretary, stated at a news conference that wearing a face mask is optional but highly advised for elderly and immunocompromised people in "open places or non-crowded outdoor areas with sufficient ventilation."
According to her, if the COVID-19 booster vaccination coverage improves, the government will test lifting the mandatory policy in the last quarter of 2022.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. "verbally approved" the IATF recommendation, according to Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, officer in charge of the Department of Health, who will issue an executive order implementing the advice. (Antonio L. Colina IV for MindaNews)
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