Cebu City to distribute 1 million masks to barangays

The Cebu City government is set to distribute 1 million face masks to the city’s barangays. | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government will be providing 1 million masks to the barangays to be distributed to frontliners and even residents.

Mayor Edgardo Labella said the city received two separate donations from private entities, and now the city had a million masks to distribute to the barangays.

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In the discussion with barangay chiefs on Friday, June 19, 2020, Cebu City Health Officer Daisy Villa, said that the masks would be the first line of defense of a person.

The masks already constitute 80 percent protection from the coronavirus since the point of entry for the virus is the mouth and nasal passages.

These alone can already provide a shield for a person not to be infected and for infected persons not to infect others.

“Masks lang daan, 80 percent na. With constant disinfection and hand washing, mahimo na nag 99 percent. (With masks alone, you are protected for 80 percent already. With constant disinfection and hand washing, it becomes 99 percent),” said Villa.

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With this, the mayor has decided to distribute the masks to the barangays for the protection of the front-liners and provide free masks for the residents who couldn’t afford to buy masks.

The city government is expected to deliver the masks to the barangays next week so these can be distributed as soon as possible.

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Labella has reminded residents that masks are mandatory when going out of their homes to protect them from the virus.

Law enforcement in the city will strictly apprehend individuals not wearing masks./dbs