CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Local business leaders on Thursday, October 27, cautioned the Marcos administration against further easing minimum public health rules, warning that the newly-detected strains of COVID-19 and Malacañang’s plan to make optional indoor masking may lead to a surge in infections especially during holidays.
“One moment, they’re strict about these rules when it concerns the President; the next, they allow the public to stop wearing face masks,” he said. “What we know is that we’re still in a pandemic, and there are new variants that appear to be fast-spreading and immune-evasive. We’re not yet cleared,” Talimio said.
On Tuesday, October 25, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said Marcos was set to sign an executive order to make indoor masking voluntary, and that the only exceptions would be public and medical transportation, medical facilities, the unvaccinated, the elderly, and people with comorbidities.