CEBU CITY, Philippines — Keep your masks on when in Cebu City.
Mayor Michael Rama said he will not yet be adopting the Executive Order (EO) of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia that no longer requires the wearing of face masks in public, open, and well-ventilated spaces.
In a phone interview with reporters on Friday, June 10, 2022, the mayor said he cannot remove the mask requirements in the city yet.
Primarily, the mayor believes that the situation of the city is different from that of the province.
“[The] city and the province are in a different situation. We need to get views of the stakeholders. I’m not saying that in the future we will not, but as of now, we will get the views of our stakeholders,” Rama said.
Rama is concerned with the fact that Cebu City is the center of commerce on the island and majority of the population either reside or work in the city.
The huge crowd movement in the city is also a factor that should be considered.
“Sentro baya ni sa tibuok island of Cebu. Talking about a convergence point, we are more much of being the recipient of an influx,” he said.
However, Rama said removing the masks requirement is an a move that the city will eventually make in the future.
He urged the Interagency Task Force (IATF) to no longer be dependent on the World Health Organization (WHO) in forming policies.
He said the country needs to eventually move on from the pandemic.
On Friday, the Department of the Interior and Local Government released a statement, reminding the public and all Local Government Units to continue following minimum public health standards.
“This Department does not recognize the Executive Order issued by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia because we have the IATF Guidelines approved by the President. The Philippine National Police will continue to confront, apprehend, and arrest, if necessary, all violators of IATF Guidelines and MPHS in the Province of Cebu,” part of the statement read.
/bmjo
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In Cebu province: Face masks no longer required outdoors