‘MASK OR NO MASK?’: City mayor reiterates nat’l policy on face masks, but still unclear on mandate

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas on Wednesday issued an advisory reiterating national government policy on the wearing of face masks amid the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but stopped short of stating whether mandatory wearing of masks would be imposed on the city again.

As chairperson of the Local Health Board (LHB), Treñas issued LHB Advisory No. 1, series of 2023, delineating the mandatory and voluntary wearing of face masks.

Face masks are mandatory in all indoor settings (public and private establishments) and all public transport (air, land, and sea), as well as in outdoor areas where physical distancing cannot be implemented.

Wearing is voluntary in open spaces and in other outdoor areas “with good ventilation”, but several persons are still “strongly encouraged” to wear masks and observe the 1-meter distancing at all times.

The advisory pertained to these persons as those who are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated against COVID, as well as “high-risk” persons, which include senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals.

The advisory cited the Department of Health’s (DOH) Department Memorandum No. 2022-0433 and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 03 series of 2022.

The city government has recently been reiterating the wearing of face masks, observance of physical distancing, and proper personal sanitation as COVID-19 cases in the city continue to rise.

Citing DOH data, the Iloilo City Health Office (ICHO) reported on Monday, April 17, that 51 cases were logged between April 1 to 16, or 15 more than the total number of cases in the whole of March 2023.

The ICHO on Wednesday morning also reported 7 new COVID cases, with 35 total number of active cases.

When asked by Daily Guardian via Viber, Treñas did not state whether he was considering the reinstatement of strict face mask-wearing regulations, merely saying, “Let’s follow DOH protocols first”.