DOH: IATF to discuss face mask policy recommendations

The Inter-Agency Task Force of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is set to meet on Monday afternoon to discuss recommendations on the face mask policy that will be presented to the Office of the President, Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

In a press briefing, Vergeire said the IATF is set to convene at 2 p.m. to tackle issues pertaining to the wearing of face masks, after the Cebu City government issued an executive order on its optional use amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Remember, IATF is recommendatory to the Office of the President. We will be discussing all of these issues later on and we will be informing the public once the Office of the President has decided already,” she said.

Cebu City government on Monday announced that its voluntary face mask policy will be on trial period until December 2022, and will be automatically lifted should there be a surge in COVID-19 infections in the city.

“We are not aware of this proposal. Lahat po ito ay pag-uusapan mamaya (We will talk about this later),” Vergeire said.

The health official earlier stressed there will be a higher risk of infections in an area if the safeguards against COVID-19 are not in place.—AOL, GMA News