Wearing mask not mandatory but encouraged – health execs

By Liza Agoot

BAGUIO CITY – Health authorities in Cordillera region urged the public to wear masks when in public places to reduce the chances of virus transmission, as the weather gets colder.

    “It is not mandatory but we encourage the public, especially if you have flu or is not feeling well, to wear a mask to avoid transmission of any illness to loved ones and the public when going out of your residence,” Dr. Rio Magpantay, director of the Dept. of Health Cordillera, said in a recent interview.
    He said people should always remember the experience during the pandemic when the use of masks was mandatory to avoid being infected or infecting others.
    “We all know what masks do to protect us, let us not forget that,” he said.
    Marie Ruby Magsino, a nurse at the city health office, in a phone interview, said Acting City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes encouraged residents and visitors to wear face masks as respiratory and influenza-like illnesses are expected, especially when temperatures drop during the "ber" months until February of the following year.
    The Baguio station of the weather bureau recorded 13°C, the lowest temperature in this city so far this year, on Nov. 20 and again on Dec. 15.
    The daily average temperature in this city is at 17°C. -- PNA