Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has issued an executive order making the wearing of face masks in outdoor and open spaces in Negros Occidental optional for all persons effective immediately.
However, Lacson in Executive Order No. 22-45, Series of 2022 signed September 9 but released Sunday, September 11, said the wearing of face masks in indoor spaces will remain mandatory.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has yet to issue an executive order on the use of face masks in Bacolod, which is a highly urbanized city that does not fall under the jurisdiction of Negros Occidental.
Benitez said on Sunday that he is okay with making the wearing of face masks in outdoor places optional but would formalize it as soon as the national government does so.
Lacson, in his executive order, stressed that the wearing of face masks will be mandatory inside hospitals and other medical facilities.
All persons and establishments who do not comply with the provisions of the executive order as well as the health and safety protocols issued by the Department of Health, Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, other agencies and the province of Negros Occidental will face appropriate administrative or criminal actions under existing laws and regulations, Lacson said.
Lacson noted that on September 7 DOH officer-in-charge Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire announced to the public that the IATF had recommended the wearing of face masks optional when outdoors as the country transitions to the new normal, which was verbally approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The president has yet to issue an official order.
Vergeire on Thursday urged the public to continue wearing face masks, whether these are required or not, saying it is still the best way to protect oneself against COVID-19.
“We needed to balance between the health and economy, and what we have compromised would be, this will be done among low risk individuals and in low risk settings”, she said.
Vergeire defined low-risk individuals as persons who are not senior citizens, without comorbidities, not children, and not having symptoms of COVID-19, the Philippine News Agency reported.
Low risk settings are outdoor places that are not crowded and with good ventilation, she added.
Negros Occidental had 176 active COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with three new deaths reported during the weekend.
Bacolod City had 101 active COVID -19 cases and no new deaths on Sunday.*
