Duterte: Face masks required until end of my term

The mandatory wearing of face masks will not be lifted in the Philippines until the end of his term, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday.

At his weekly Talk to the People, the President urged the public to maintain the strict observance of minimum public health standards, saying the “complacency” of other countries in implementing the said policies might have contributed to the sudden spike in their coronavirus cases.

“It was a reckless move to stop urging people to wear masks. Yun ang attitude nila pero tayo dito, sabihin ko lang di tayo mayaman we can hardly afford to meet another wave of the pandemic,” said Duterte.

(It was a reckless move to stop urging people to wear masks. That's maybe their attitude, but not here. We’re not rich, we can hardly afford to meet another wave of the pandemic.)

“Ako I’ll just state my case…there is no way na masks will not be required. it will be a part of the protocol for a long time until the last day of my office. Yan ang order ko at yan ang sundin ninyo,” he said.

(I’ll just state my case. There is no way that masks will not be required. It will be a part of the protocol for a long time until the last day of my office. That’s my order. You should follow.)

Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand have started experiencing sudden spike in COVID-19 infections.

On April 11, the Philippines reported 273 fresh cases bringing the nationwide tally to 3,681,646. Of the numbers,  27,353 are active cases.—LDF, GMA News