Most Metro Manila residents practice measures vs COVID-19 but not regularly — survey

MANILA, Philippines — A huge majority of Metro Manila residents continue to wear face mask, practice proper hygiene and maintain a safe distance with others to avoid contracting COVID-19, a survey of the OCTA Research suggested.

However, not everyone in the country’s outbreak epicenter does these minimum and mandated health protocols set by the government all the time.

OCTA Research found that 93% of the 600 adult respondents in Metro Manila wear face masks to avoid getting the virus that causes the respiratory illness. Some 83% said they use face shields whenever they go out of their homes.

Compliance with regular handwashing was at 89%, while adherence to the physical distancing rule was at 73%.

The poll was conducted from December 9 to 13 using face-to-face interviews. It had a sampling error margin of ±4%.

A previous survey of the Social Weather Stations released in September last year found that adherence to minimum health protocols declined in Metro Manila.

Frequency

While most of the respondents from the capital region still practice safety measures against COVID-19 nearly a year since a case was first detected in the country, not all of them do these on a regular basis.

Wearing face masks is the most basic rule always followed by most survey respondents at 83%. Some 16% said they wear masks “most of the time” outside their homes.

When it comes to handwashing, 77% said they always do it, while 19% answered “most of the time.” Three percent of the respondents said they only do the basic measure “sometimes.”

Seventy-three percent of the Metro Manila respondents reported that they always practice basic cough etiquette.

The survey found that adherence to use of face shield and distancing rule is lower among Metro Manila residents.

Only 61% of the respondents said they regularly wear face shields when whenever they go out of their residences, while 31% said they wear these “most of the time.” Seven percent answered “sometimes” and 1% said “rarely.”

Two days after the poll was conducted, the national government announced that people should wear full coverage face shields on top of face masks whenever they leave home.

Meanwhile, 67% said they regularly maintain physical distance from others outside their homes. Twenty-nine percent said they do this protocol “most of the time” and 4% responded “sometimes.”

Education and observance of protocols

The survey of OCTA Research also found that “the observance of minimum safety protocols and practice rises with higher educational attainment except in the practice of physical and social distancing.”

The proportion of those who follow physical distancing was highest among elementary graduates (80%) than college graduates (74%).

Froilan Alipao, a professor who teaches sociology in the University of Santo Tomas, earlier said that decreasing compliance with minimum health standards may be attributed to fatigue or social confusion from all dynamics of pandemic situation.

“One possible reason for this fatigue or social confusion is the economic aspect of compliance. People prioritize the need in food and basic requirements instead of face masks, alcohol and face shields,” he told Philstar.com in October.

The Department of Health has been asking the public to continue practicing health protocols against COVID-19 even as exhaustion with the pandemic sets in.

The Philippines has so far reported 480,737 COVID-19 cases, including 9,347 deaths.

Related Stories

DOH urges compliance with protocol vs COVID-19 despite 'pandemic fatigue'

Only 25% of Metro Manila respondents willing to get COVID-19 jabs — survey