Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Tuesday, October 25, that he welcomes the Marcos administration’s decision to make the indoor wearing of face masks voluntary.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, on the other hand, said “I strongly encourage the use of face masks indoors”.
The Marcos administration’s decision to make the wearing of face masks indoors voluntary makes the country at par with its neighbors in liberalizing mask mandates, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said at a press briefing at Malacañan on Tuesday.
Frasco confirmed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to issue an executive order lifting the mandatory use of face masks indoors, with a few exceptions.
“Generally, the direction of the Marcos administration is to lift the remainder of travel restrictions into the Philippines, and that includes easing of our mask mandates to allow our country to be a par with our ASEAN neighbors who have long liberalized their mask mandates,” Frasco said.
However, the wearing of masks would still be required in public transportation, medical facilities, and medical transportation, she added.
Mask-wearing is also still highly encouraged for unvaccinated individuals, persons with comorbidities and senior citizens, Frasco said.
Benitez said he had suggested the lifting of the use of face masks indoors to the president during his visit to Bacolod on Sunday, noting that it is no longer required in other countries.
The mayor said those hit with COVID-19 now only suffer from flu-like symptoms.
Bacolod has led the way in opening up with a big bang during the MassKara Festival, Benitez said.
“The pandemic is over, let’s get back to our normal lives and…move on”, Benitez also said on Saturday.*