Mayor Sara says face mask a lifesaving gear

Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte has emphasized the benefits of wearing masks at all times at work and in public places where physical distancing is impossible during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Sara said this following reports that certain employees, especially those in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) or call centers, feel uncomfortable wearing masks while communicating with their customers.

“Pinaka-useful ni dinha sa call centers kay daghan gyud kaayo sila sulod sa isa ka lugar, sa isa ka kwarto (This is most useful in call centers because there are a lot of people staying in one place, in one room),” she said over the Davao City Disaster Radio on Wednesday.

Citing doctors’ explanations on the levels of risk of wearing masks over not wearing, the mayor said that if an asymptomatic person with coronavirus and another person negative of the disease do not wear masks working in one room face a high risk of Covid-19 transmission.

There is also a risk of transmitting the disease of the asymptomatic person not wearing masks to another person wearing masks. There is a medium risk of getting a transmission from the asymptomatic or the Covid-19 positive person wearing masks to the person not wearing masks.

If both persons in one room wear masks and working six-feet apart, there is a very low chance of virus transmission, the mayor added.

“Importante gyud nga ang kaning mga positive ang atoang [ipa]mask but sa pagkakaron dili nato ma-determine kinsa ang asymptomatic Covid-19 positive cases unless magtesting ta sa ilaha (It is very important to require those asymptomatic Covid-19 persons to wear mask although we still cannot determine if they are positive unless we test them),” she stressed.

Mayor Sara said the wearing of masks also protects vulnerable people such as the children, senior citizens, and those who have an existing disease or underlying medical conditions.

“True, lisod gyud kaayo mag-ginhawa ug mag-istorya samtang naay mask but it is something that we need to do because kinahanglan nato i-protect ang mga tao nga nabilin sa balay (True, it is difficult to breathe and talk while wearing a mask but it is something that we need to do to protect those who are in our homes),” Mayor Sara said. CIO