Face masks use remains mandatory in Davao City

This was the clarification made by Dr. Michelle Schlosser, the spokesman of the city’s COVID-19 Task Force. She said the city government has no plans of scrapping the rule on the use of face masks as mandated under Executive Order 11 Series of 2022. 

City Information Office (CIO) in its report said that Mayor Sara Duterte, the head of the COVID-19 Task Force does not consider the option of lifting the face mask restriction be it in open or enclosed spaces. 

“It was not discussed. It was also not considered by our good Mayor Sara,” Schlosser said.

She said that lifting the only minimum public health standard was not even considered a viable option. 

“At the moment we do not see it necessary to lift the restriction. We did not see it necessary to remove this protocol,” Schlosser said. 

Schlosser, however, emphasized that every local government unit has the power to implement its own rules based on its executive power and has a right to implement its protocols. 

“Whatever the Cebu implements, it is not necessary that it will be implemented here in Davao City because we have a different mandate based on our executive power,” Schlosser added.

Schlosser underscored that wearing of face mask is still strongly recommended by the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as it is the only way to prevent the transmission of disease from respiratory droplets from infected and non-infected persons. 

“The transmission can only be hampered through the wearing of facemasks. We cannot see the respiratory droplets it is very microscopic,”Schlosser said. 

 Schlosser noted  the city has still COVID-19 cases and some residents are still not vaccinated.

She said that face masks are part of the prevention of transmission simultaneously done with the administration of vaccines to prevent the severity of the COVID-19. The wearing of a facemask also gives protection from other diseases which can be transmitted through respiratory droplets. 

“The first layer of protection is through the wearing of face masks and a strong layer of protection against the disease is vaccination,” Schlosser said.