New Normal in Cebu City: Masks required in event of surge

CEBU, Philippines —  Masks will be required in Cebu City again if the city experiences a surge of COVID-19 cases.

This is stipulated in Executive Order No. 6 that Mayor Michael Rama signed on Monday, September 5, 2022, to supplement Executive Order No. 5, which declared the use of masks no longer obligatory.

Section 2 of EO No. 6 provides that EO No.5 will be lifted automatically and wearing of masks will be mandatory again in the event of a COVID surge, as verified by pertinent indicative, reliable, and official data of the government in coordination with other institutions.

EO No. 6 also fixed a “trial period” for the effectivity and observance of EO No. 5, which is until December 31, 2022.

“The period of effectivity of Executive Order No. 5 entitled DECLARING THE USE OF FACE MASK WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION OF THE CITY OF CEBU AS NON OBLIGATORY BUT A MEASURE OF INDIVIDUAL SELF PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION shall be from September 1, 2022 until December 31, 2022. The same period is hereby referred to as the trial and observation period,” reads Section 1 of EO No. 6.

To recall, the Department of Health (DOH) expressed worry that lifting the mask mandate in Cebu will become a precedent for other local government units to also ditch masking, which the department said can lead to disastrous consequences.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the response to COVID-19 should be a one nation approach.

When EO No. 5 was issued, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos asked Rama to put the order on hold temporarily while the matter is being deliberated on by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Abalos said Cebu City is being targeted to be a pilot area for the non-obligatory use of masks.

In response, Rama said EO No. 5 will remain, arguing that making masks “non-obligatory” does not mean the use of mask is lifted. The city now calls the use of masks as a “measure of individual self-preservation and protection.”

But Rama welcomed Abalos’ proposal to make Cebu City a pilot area for the optional use of masks.

As provided in EO No. 6, the City of Cebu is one with the national government and other local government units in rising up and moving forward to full health and economic recovery.

“The constituents of the City of Cebu and those of other localities in the country must be supported to move forward and advance from the status of Alert Level 1 which already allowed non vaccinated individuals. It is only through people empowerment that we can further move forward towards a much better future, hence the issuance of Executive Order No. 5,” EO No. 6 reads.

DOH Officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Cebu City situation was in the agenda of the IATF meeting on Monday, September 5.

“Lahat ng ito ay pag-uusapan mamaya… May IATF po kami… We have reconvened the IATF… so pag-uusapan ito ng mga ahensya na kasama natin para magkaroon po tayo ng rekomendasyon sa ating Presidente,” Vergeire said also on Monday.

The IATF is recommendatory in nature, Vergeire said, and will inform the public what had been discussed once a decision is made.

“The science will be there… We will position for the Science… Pero kung mararating naman natin ang mga kundisyon tulad ng pagtaas ng ating coverage ng ating bakuna, katulad ng stability ng mga kaso, darating tayo dyan… hindi natin mamadaliin… makikipag-usap tayo para may compromise ang national government agencies and we can balance health and economy,” Vergeire said.

Protection

While she did not want to preempt the outcome of the meeting, Vergeire maintains that masking can provide up to 80 percent protection against COVID-19.

“All I can say is that based on Science, ang mask provides us with 70 to 80 percent protection against the COVID-19 disease… Ang mask nakakaprotekta din ng ibang sakit katulad nitong resperatory infections that are here in the country… Nandyan na yung flu, nandyan na yung pulmonya at iba pang mga sakit,” Vergeire said.

“Ang atin pong position would be that meron po tayong mga kundisyon for us to be able to ease some of the restrictions… and ating posisyon, kasama tayo ng buong national government agencies na gusto natin, dadating na tayo dun sa punto that we can somehow ease more of the restrictions… as we would like our citizens to experience ito pong normal in the previous times, but we should always remember that the virus is here to stay… Whatever normal we have before, hindi na yun pareho sa ngayon… meron tayong dapat safeguards for ourselves and our family… and that would be our vaccines and the masking,” Vergeire said.

She said that even the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that members of the vulnerable sector should remain protected, including senior citizens, those who are immuno-compromised, and children.

“Kailangan yan naka mask… and also, kapag crowded ang sitwasyon, saka gatherings… dapat lahat naka-mask so these are the things that we will be discussing later on with other agencies,” Vergeire said. – Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, JMO (FREEMAN)