DOH not consulted over Cebu's move to make masks optional

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday stressed that it was not consulted over the decision of the Cebu provincial government to make the wearing of face masks optional.

Under Executive Order No. 16 signed by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, the wearing of face masks shall be required only in closed and air-conditioned spaces while it is optional in well-ventilated and open spaces.

“Unang-una, gusto natin ito linawin, ano? Hindi po kami nakonsulta regarding this move or executive order coming from Cebu,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media briefing.

(First of all, I want to make this clear. We were not consulted regarding this move or executive order coming from Cebu.)

She said the DOH maintains its position that the mask remains valuable in the country’s COVID-19 response.

“Nirerekomenda natin na ipagpatuloy nating isuot ang face mask dahil isa po ito sa ating mga panlaban dito po sa COVID-19 na virus na meron tayo ngayon,” Vergeire said.

(We are recommending to continue the wearing of face masks because this is one of our armaments against COVID-19.)

“Ito po ay nakatulong sa atin for… more than two years na lumalaban sa pandemya para hindi po mag tuloy-tuloy ang transmission ng sakit dito sa ating bansa,” she added.

(This helped us for more than two years during our fight to curb the transmission of COVID-19 in the country.)

According to the Health official, studies also show that face masks protect Filipinos not only from COVID-19 but also from other respiratory infections and the monkeypox virus.

Vergeire later said there is still no monkeypox virus in the country.

“So by saying that, maliit na sakripisyo ito para maprotektahan tayong mga kababayan natin pati ang ating komunidad at sana po ay ‘wag po nating kontrahin,” Vergeire said.

(So by saying that, it is a small sacrifice in order to protect our countrymen and our community. Let us not go against it.)

She advised the public to slow down as she assured Filipinos that the country will someday achieve the new normal without restrictions.

According to Vergeire, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases is the policy-directing body on the COVID-19 response.

“Specifically stated in our IATF resolutions, all public and private sectors and all units under each of these government agencies, including local governments, should comply and abide with the protocols of IATF,” she said.

She also cited Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health of Public Health Concern Act.

“Kung meron pong public emergency, the national government has that authority to issue protocols and these protocols should be complied with by all sectors including local governments,” Vergeire said.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año rejected Friday the move of the Cebu provincial government.

“This Department does not recognize the Executive Order issued by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia because we have the IATF Guidelines approved by the President,” he said in a statement.

“The Philippine National Police will continue to confront, apprehend, and arrest, if necessary, all violators of IATF Guidelines and MPHS in the Province of Cebu,” he added.—AOL, GMA News