City to continue strictly implementing the wearing of ace mask

Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the city government will continue to strictly implement the wearing of face masks and other provisions under the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Alert Level 1.

The Summer Capital is currently under Alert Level 1 until the end of June.

The city will continue to adhere to the directives of the National Task Force-Inter-Agency Task Force (NTF-IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) in the ongoing fight against the pandemic, the Mayor stressed.

“We do not intend to make any pronouncements or executive orders that will go against the pronouncements or policies of the IATF. We should always be aligned or we will be sending the wrong signal or cause confusion among our constituents”, Magalong said.

It is only when there is a national announcement that the Covid-19 pandemic is over, that it would be safe for us to no longer need to wear face masks, the Mayor added.

“The important thing is that we are following IATF rules and regulations and not violating these or being hard-headed on the matter,” he said.

The Mayor disclosed that there are already reports of increasing Covid-19 cases in several parts of the country and in other nations around the world.

He revealed that several countries in Europe and some areas in the United States are now mandating their people to again wear masks.

“Unfortunately, Covid cases in Baguio are gradually increasing so we are reiterating our appeal for the public to continue adhering to minimum public health standards,” the Mayor said.

He also advised against hand shaking or doing ‘fist bumps’ in greeting each other but rather to use our elbows instead while infections are on the uptick. – Gaby B. Keith