IT is not yet time to remove the requirement to wear face masks even as COVID-19 cases in the country are dipping, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Thursday.
During the Laging Handa briefing, Duque said the country should still be “prudent” with the adjustments it is implementing amid the drop in cases.
“I believe it is not yet the time to remove the face mask mandate. We should learn from the experiences of different countries in Europe where they removed their mask mandates,” Duque said.
“There are a lot of cases there again—in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and France. Do we want to have the same experience? Of course not. We should be prudent,” he added.
Duque said the government is studying possible changes as cases decline.
“Have some patience. We are studying this and when time comes that we can remove the mask mandate then why not? But right now, it’s still premature. It’s too early,” Duque said.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said that among the various pandemic interventions imposed by the government, the face mask mandate would be the “last to go.”
Vergeire said that aside from the new coronavirus disease, face masks have been protecting Filipinos from a lot of diseases, resulting in fewer numbers of respiratory infections in the country. (©Philippine Daily Inquirer 2022/ Neil Arwin Mercado)
