BACOLOD CITY – The City of Cadiz in northern Negros Occidental has enforced anew the wearing of face masks in government offices as the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic continues to pose a significant threat to people’s health and safety.
Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said on Tuesday he has observed that minimum public health protocols are no longer practiced and advised residents to still wear masks in public places, especially those with comorbidities who are vulnerable to contracting the virus.
“There is one in a national office who tested positive. A department head also turned out positive,” he told reporters in a telephone interview.
Through an executive order (EO) issued on Monday, Escalante directed employees of the city government and their clients to wear proper face masks while inside the enclosed government offices.
Those who fail to comply with the directive, as well as the established protocols issued by the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), “shall face appropriate administrative and/or criminal sanctions under existing laws and regulations”, it added.
“We should not still be complacent. This is also one way of reminding people that Covid-19 is still with us, not just as potent as before. It’s just nice to be healthy,” Escalante said.
In October last year, President Ferdinand R. Marcos approved the recommendation of the IATF-EID to issue an EO allowing the voluntary wearing of face masks in indoor places with some exceptions.
A month before that, Marcos approved an EO for the voluntary wearing of face masks in outdoor settings, particularly in open spaces and non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation. (PNA)
