Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said he will not order the mandatory wearing of face masks at Negros Occidental provincial government offices but is urging its continued use.
Although it is optional, he still encourages the wearing of face masks especially in crowded areas, Lacson said Wednesday, April 19.
Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. on Monday ordered the mandatory wearing of face masks in all government offices of Cadiz, Negros Occidental, after the heads of a city government department and a national agency tested positive for COVID-19.
Lacson said he is in favor of the wearing of face masks because the COVID-19 threat remains.
In fact he has never stopped wearing a face mask, he pointed out.
Independent monitoring team OCTA Research has reported a hike in the positivity rate— or the percentage of those found positive for the virus among all who were tested— in Metro Manila and 13 provinces, including Negros Occidental.
The World Health Organization recommended a 5-percent threshold to show that COVID-19 transmission was under control.
OCTA placed Negros Occidental’s threshold at 7.5 percent.
“That in itself should be known to the public that we are above the allowable threshold of 5 percent,” Lacson said.
People should remain vigilant, he said.*