Mask mandate should stay under 'Alert Level 0' — expert

A passenger (C) sits inside a tricycle covered with a reminder to wear a mask, part of the Covid-19 health protocols, in Manila on February 16, 2022.

AFP / Ted Aljibe

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines must retain the mask mandate should the government decide to lower the country to “Alert Level 0,” an infectious diseases specialist said Friday.

Health chief Francisco Duque III earlier said authorities and experts were studying a possible Alert Level 0 as COVID-19 cases continue to drop.

“At this point, [based] on the metrics na nakikita natin ngayon, especially sa pagbaba ng mga kaso at healthcare utilization, if ever we will downgrade to Alert Level 0, mukhang ready na tayo,” Rontgene Solante, head of adult infectious diseases unit in San Lazaro Hospital, told state broadcaster People’s Television.

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/03/11/2166599/mask-mandate-should-stay-under-alert-level-0-expert