MANILA, Philippines — The health department on Monday pushed anew for the wearing of face masks at home as part of efforts to curb the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Dr. Althea de Guzman, DOH's epidemiology bureau chief, told a Laging Handa briefing that minimum public health standards should be followed not just outside but also in households with family members who are vulnerable to the COVID-19.
"Hindi lang sa public places o work places," she said, "pero kinakailangan talaga kahit sa bahay lalo na 'pag may kasama tayong matanda o may ibang sakit tulad ng hypertension o diabetes."
(This should not only be when we are in public places or at work. But it is also needed in our homes if we have elderly relatives or with other conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.)
No longer new: Recall that this move was made back in August 2020, when the interior department urged this particularly for families who may not have enough space in their homes to practice physical distancing measures. This, however, was not made mandatory.
"Let's consider that transmission now is per family," said Interior Sec. Eduardo Año then. "What's most important is if they can't [practice physical distancing], they should wear a mask."
What other experts say: While many back then had seemed to question the said proposal, the wearing of masks at home is actually part of the guidelines set by the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In here, the CDC said: "Wear a mask inside your home if someone you live with is sick with symptoms of COVID-19 or has tested positive for COVID-19."
The World Health Organization has not made any specifics on this. But in a Q&A in its website, it advised to wear masks if a visitor is at home, where physical distancing could not be followed or ventilation is poor.
How measures evolved: The wearing of face masks in the country was made mandatory in April 2020 for those going out. By December of that year, face shields were also mandated from initially just being required when riding in public transportation and visiting malls.
March 15, 2021 marks one year since the Philippines entered the hard COVID-19 lockdowns that stretched on for months to affect millions and eventually send the economy into a recession.
Economic recovery has since been a priority of government since easing restrictions, but the presence of more Filipinos now infected with at least three coronavirus variants that detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, is forcing a seeming return to stricter pandemic-related curbs.
A year later, coronavirus cases in the country are now at nearly 622,000 with a new surge already underway that experts warned could bring daily infections to 8,000 by end of the month if not controlled. There had since been 12,829 deaths, with 48,157 active cases.