Wearing mask not mandatory but is encouraged – health official


BAGUIO: Health authorities in the Cordillera region are calling on the public to wear masks when in public places to reduce the chances of virus transmission, as the weather gets colder.

‘It is not mandatory but we encourage the public, especially if you have flu or is not feeling well, to wear a mask to avoid transmission of any illness to loved ones and the public when going out of your residence,’ Dr. Rio Magpantay, director of the Department of Health – Cordillera, said in a media interview on Friday.

He said people should always remember the experience during the pandemic when the use of masks was mandatory to avoid being infected or infecting others.

‘We all know what masks do to protect us, let us not forget that,’ he said.

Marie Ruby Magsino, a nurse at the city health office, in a phone interview, said Acting City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes encouraged residents and visitors to wear face masks as respiratory and influenza-like illnesses are expected, especially when temperatures drop
during the “ber” months until February of the following year.

The Baguio station of the weather bureau recorded 13°C, the lowest temperature in this city so far this year, on Nov. 20 and again on Friday.

The daily average temperature in this city is at 17°C.
Source: Philippines News Agency