Regardless of Gadon's beliefs, WHO recommends face masks and IATF requires them
MANILA, Philippines — Despite face masks being required in public since April, lawyer Larry Gadon said Saturday that he does not believe they work, a point of view at odds with government policy on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and which is potentially dangerous because of his considerable following on social media.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government in fact made wearing a face mask the first item in its "BIDA ang may Disiplina" campaign, a joint effort with the Department of Health. The 'B' in BIDA stands for "bawal walang face mask."
READ: More emphasis on enforcement as LGUs urged to form 'Disiplina Brigades'
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease passed Resolution No. 18 in April which "adopts the policy of mandatory wearing by all residents of face masks, earloop masks, indigenous, reusable or do-it-yourself masks, face shields, handkerchiefs or such other protective equipment that can effectively lessen the transmission of COVID-19, whenever allowed to go out of their residences pursuant to existing guidelines issued by the national government."
According to the World Health Organization, face masks should be used "as part of a comprehensive strategy of measures to suppress transmission and save lives."
Aside from wearing face masks, the WHO advises maintaining physical distance of at least one meter, frequent handwashing, and avoiding touching the mask and one's face.
The WHO says that medical-grade face masks are required for health workers, those taking care of possible COVID-19 cases at home or at an isolation facility, and those who are more susceptible to the disease like the elderly.
"For areas of widespread transmission, with limited capacity for implementing control measures and especially in settings where physical distancing of at least 1 metre is not possible — such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments — WHO advises governments to encourage the general public to use non-medical fabric masks," it also says.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a separate advisory that "masks are recommended as a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the mask coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice."
Gadon, who was documented on social media wearing a face shield with a face mask glued to it instead of covering his face, said in a statement Saturday that he does not believe in masks.
"I don't believe in mask outdoors, face shield is okay. Masks may be good for small enclosed places like elevators or small conference rooms," Gadon, who is not a doctor, is quoted in media reports as saying.
"In my case, the mask is only for a show [sic] because stores will not allow entry if you don’t have mask."
Face shields are now required on public transportation and in workplaces aside from the face masks that have been required for months.
"At this time, it is not known what level of protection a face shield provides to people nearby from the spray of respiratory droplets from the wearer. There is currently not enough evidence to support the effectiveness of face shields for source control," the US CDC says, which notes that their primary use is for eye protection.
Regardless of Gadon's personal beliefs, the IATF requires people to wear face masks. In July, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the police to arrest people found not wearing masks.
"I have no qualms in arresting people who are not wearing [face] mask. It seems to be trivial, but during a time of pandemic, it can be a serious crime. You are transmitting virus, you are a carrier," Duterte said in a meeting with cabinet officials aired on July 21.
READ: As Duterte orders arrest of people without masks, government scrambles to find space for detainees
Gadon, known mostly as former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno's accuser at House hearings in 2018 and for calling people 'bobo' or stupid, has 1.2 million followers on his official Facebook page.
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