Frasco said that during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, Marcos approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to make the wearing of face masks indoors no longer mandatory “with few exceptions.”
She said the wearing of masks will remain a must in public transportation and medical transportation and facilities.
Frasco said unvaccinated individuals, the elderly and persons with comorbidities are still encouraged to continue to wear masks in public areas.
“Generally, the direction of the Marcos admin 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 at par with our Asean neighbors who have long liberalized their mask mandates,” she said.
The secretary said the pre-departure coronavirus disease (Covid-19) testing requirement into the Philippines would also be removed.
She said only unvaccinated foreigners will be required to present a Covid-19 test result, at the least antigen, taken 24 hours before departure to the point of origin or upon arrival in the Philippines.
She said the highly criticized One Health Pass will be out and will be replaced by the E-Arrival, which can be filled out prior to departure to the country of origin or upon arrival in the country.
“The overarching direction of the Marcos administration is to allow our country to convey an openness and readiness to the world to receive tourists and investments so that we would give our fellow Filipinos an opportunity to regain all the livelihood and losses that were incurred during the pandemic,” said Frasco.
Fracso said the newly emerging Covid-19 variants, which are reportedly causing the spike in cases in the country, have been “extensively discussed,” noting that the Department of Health will continue its efforts to manage the Covid-19 concerns, including the strengthening of the vaccination program.
Cebu
In Cebu, Frasco’s mother, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, said Tuesday: “We thank Secretary Frasco for coming out with this announcement, and of course we are very thankful to the President for this latest move. … This is first of all in keeping with other countries in moving on.”
Last Sept. 12, the National Government made the wearing of masks in open, non-crowded and well-ventilated areas in the country optional.
The move came after Mayor Rama issued Executive Order (EO) 5 on Aug. 31 making mask wearing in the city “non-obligatory,” except in health facilities, such as hospitals and clinics, and for persons with flu-like symptoms going outside their homes. Establishments could craft their own policies on whether to allow optional mask wearing.
EO 5 drew a response from Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr., who called for the suspension of its implementation.
Rama responded by signing EO 6 on Sept. 5, 2022 calling the first four months of implementation of EO 5, from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022, a “trial and observation period.”
But it was Governor Garcia who first deviated from the IATF protocol on mask wearing and locked horns with the DILG when she issued EO 16 last June 8 that made the wearing of masks in outdoor and well-ventilated areas optional in the Province of Cebu. (SunStar Philippines, ANV)