The Davao City COVID-19 Task Force reminds Dabawenyos that only the social distancing protocol was lifted but the mandatory wearing of face mask remains.
Dr. Michelle Schlosser, the spokesperson of the Davao City COVID-19 Task Force, said the public may have thought that the wearing of face masks was also lifted since some information campaign signages on the minimum public health standards (MPHS) in the city were already removed.
“Probably gitanggal sya kay gi-lift naman ang social distancing pero sa EO 11 magpabilin man gihapon ang face mask. Siguro gi associate nila ang dili na mag face mask kay gitanggal na mga signages. Dili naman pud gud applicable kay giwala naman ang social distancing (The signages were probably removed because social distancing was already lifted but EO 11 emphasized the wearing of face mask as mandatory. People might have thought that the non-wearing of face mask is okay since the signages were removed. But the signages are no longer applicable as social distancing is not mandatory anymore),” Dr. Schlosser said.
She reiterated that individuals caught not wearing a face mask in public places will still be issued citation tickets.
The city’s face mask ordinance penalizes first offense violators with an administrative fee of P500: P2,000 for the second offense; and P5,000 or one-month imprisonment for the third offense.
Aside from requiring Dabawenyos to wear face masks in public places, the ordinance also requires all private and public establishments to put up signs such as ‘No Mask, No Entry’ inside their premises.
Dr. Schlosser also underscored that Dabawenyos must continue to be vigilant, continue to wear face masks, and practice frequent handwashing to help contain COVID-19 transmission even with the more relaxed Alert Level 1 status of the city.
Meanwhile, the Prevention/Enforcement Cluster of the Davao City COVID-19 Task Force recorded a total of 426 face mask violators apprehended from March 14 to 18, 2022. CIO
