DOLE: Wearing of face mask in workplaces no longer mandatory

MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said wearing of face mask in workplaces is no longer mandatory.

“Wearing of face masks in workplaces will now be voluntary,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said yesterday, adding that this covers all workers and workplaces in the private sector.

Excluded from the directive are health facilities such as clinics, hospitals, laboratories, nursing homes, dialysis centers; medical transport vehicles such as ambulance and paramedic rescue vehicles, and public transportation by land, air or sea.

According to Laguesma, employers and their workers may opt to implement a policy requiring the wearing of face masks after taking into account the hazards and risks such as enclosed spaces and poor ventilation; industry requirements like food safety, and incidence of other communicable diseases such as flu and tuberculosis.

The mandate also advises the elderly, immunocompromised, unvaccinated, COVID-symptomatic individuals, those with comorbidities, and pregnant women to use face masks in the workplaces.

Both the employers and workers have the responsibility to ensure safe and healthy working conditions, Laguesma said.

He stated that the easing of the face mask policy in workplaces is in compliance with Malacañang’s executive order released on October 28.

The Department of Education earlier announced that the wearing of face masks in classrooms would be optional.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bong Go urged the public, particularly the students not to be complacent as the threat of Covid-19 remains.

As chairman of the Senate committee on health, Go said the health and safety of the Filipinos are his priority.

“Human life, unlike a movie, has no part two. A life lost is a life lost forever. Let’s take care of each other’s life and health,” Go said.

“While I welcome science-based policies and measures that will help us renormalize our lives again such as the voluntary wearing of masks indoors and outdoors, we should still not be complacent as the threat of an unseen and evolving enemy remains,” Go said.

Go stated that if wearing masks is not an inconvenience, everyone should continue to do so for their protection.

Reiterating his call for individuals who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated, particularly with a booster shot, he emphasized that this is vital to overcoming the pandemic.

Go lamented that the country’s booster rate is still too low, ranking among the lowest in Southeast Asia.

As of November 1, he said the vaccinated rate was about 48 percent on children aged 5-11, while first booster dose uptake remains low nationally among all age groups at around 26 percent of the target population.