MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment is leaving it up to employers and their workers to decide whether they will continue to wear masks at work after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. scrapped the mask mandate.
In Labor Advisory No. 22, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said employers and their workers may require the wearing of face masks taking into account hazards and risks, industry requirements and incidence of other infectious diseases.
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The DOLE also said that employers and their workers “have a shared responsibility to ensure safe and healthful working conditions” in accordance with the Labor Code and minimum public health standards.
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Prior to this labor advisory, the DOLE and the Department of Trade and Industry required the wearing of face masks at workplaces at all times except when eating and drinking.
Marcos made masking optional in both indoor and outdoor settings in an effort to boost tourism in the country as officials pointed out that the Philippines still had stringent mask rules compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors.
This is despite the continued warnings of the Department of Health, which chairs the pandemic task force, that lifting the mask mandate may result in more COVID-19 infections.