PRRD not keen on removing face mask until his term ends

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MANILA – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said he is not keen to ditch the need of wearing face masks until his term ends, while urging Filipinos to continue adhering to minimum public health protocols.

“I just state my cases, there’s no way that mask will not be required. It will be part of the protocol for a long time until my last day in the office. Iyan ang order ko at iyan ang sundin niyo (That’s my order, you should follow it),” Duterte said in his prerecorded Talk to the People aired Monday night.

Duterte stressed the importance of wearing face masks, as well as regular hand washing and maintaining a strict physical distancing.

“We are not out of the woods actually, we are still in a bind,” he said.

Duterte reiterated the need for the unvaccinated to avail of jabs “to protect the body” despite a drop in the number of new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases and hospitalizations in the country.

Duterte noted the importance of wearing face masks because it reduces the risk of spreading the disease during election-related and religious activities that gather large crowds.

“We have so many crowds lately – religious and political (And you can see people are very close to each other),” Duterte said, adding that health authorities have cautioned about the possible worse impact of these physical mass gatherings.

According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire’s report to Duterte, other countries experienced a Covid-19 surge after the mandatory use of face masks was lifted.