(CHRISTIAN DALE)

NAKATAKDANG magpalabas si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., ng executive order na naglalayong gawing boluntaryo ang pagsusuot ng face mask sa indoor areas.

Sa press briefing sa New Executive Building (NEB), Malakanyang, sinabi ni Tourism Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina Garcia Frasco na kabilang ang usaping ito sa tinalakay sa cabinet meeting ni Pangulong Marcos.

“We have just concluded a cabinet meeting with President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. together with fellow cabinet secretaries. At this meeting the matter of the mask mandate policy of the PH was discussed,” ayon sa Kalihim.

“As you are aware, the President has already issued an executive order to make outdoor masks wearing volunteers all over the PH with certain exceptions. As a result of the Cabinet meeting this morning, it was agreed that the President would be issuing an executive order for the IATF recommendation to make indoor mask wearing also voluntary all over the Philippines with the few exceptions,” aniya.

Kabilang na rito aniya ang pagsusuot ng face mask sa public transportation, medical transportation at medical facilities.

Hinihikayat naman ng gobyerno ang patuloy na pagsusuot ng face mask sa mga unvaccinated individuals, mga taong may comorbidities at senior citizens.

“But generally the direction of the Marcos administration is to lift the remainder of travel restrictions into the Philippines and that includes easing of our mask mandates to allow our country to be at par with our ASEAN neighbors who have long liberalized their mask mandates,” lahad nito.

Idagdag pa rito, napag-usapan din aniya ang natitirang stringent protocols gaya ng requirement ng pre-departure testing sa Pilipinas sa anyo ng RT-PCR ay aalisin na.

“In addition to this as far as unvaccinated foreigners are concerned they would henceforth be allowed entry into the Philippines with only the requirement of presenting an antigen test 24 hours taken before the departure or an option of taking an antigen test upon arrival into the Philippines,” ayon sa Kalihim.

Napagkasunduan din aniya kasama ang Department of Health (DoH) at sa pakikipagtalakayan nito sa Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) na dapat bigyan ng special lanes sa paliparan ang mga hindi nagkaroon ng pagkakataon o oportunidad na mag-fill-out ng arrival card.