Outgoing Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said he will talk to the next administration to keep the Covid-19 mask rule.
Duque said that there is a need to “build on the gains” of the outgoing administration in terms of pandemic response, while still exercising the freedom of the next administration to build their own Covid-19 protocols.
“We will still convince them [next administration] to continue on and build on the gains of this administration,” Duque said during an interview with ANC.
As far as the Duterte administration is concerned, Duque said the face mask requirement will stay until Duterte’s last day in office on June 30, 2022.
Duque said that Filipinos’ compliance with the wearing of face masks “synergizes” with the government’s fight in controlling the transmission of the virus.
“It really synergizes or compliments our vaccination to curb the transmission. That’s why it is no wonder that our transmission rate is very low,” Duque said.
— Ronald Espartinez