FILE PHOTO Some people in Singapore no longer wear facemasks against the spread of the COVID-19 as they walk through a shopping district on Orchard Road. (AFP/Roslan Rahman via The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network
ORCHARD ROAD, Singapore — For Filipinos new in Singapore, seeing people on streets not wearing face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic might take some getting used to, even though this health protocol is no longer required here.
Such optional mask policy when outdoors may soon be enforced in the Philippines if the country’s tourism authorities will decide to adopt such measures to attract more visitors.
According to Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, the Department of Tourism (DOT) gave a presentation showing that tourist volume increased in countries with less restrictive mask policies, adding that the matter is seriously being taken into consideration by the government.
“Nag-presenta ang DOT na in certain states na nagluwag na tungkol sa face mask, tumataas ang tourism nila,” Angeles told reporters who are covering President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit in Singapore, after being asked whether the Philippines has any plans to copy the maskless policy.
“Gawa nga ng ‘front and center’ ang ating turismo sa pagbangon ng ekonomiya, this matter is being taken seriously,” she added.
But Angeles also clarified that the Department of Health (DOH), being the country’s top health authority, will have a say in the decision on whether or not to drop the mask rule. She added that both DOH and DOT must arrive at a consensus before changes in the policy are made.
“The DOH will still have a major say in it. So kailangan magka-tugma ang DOH at ang ating DOT and other agencies bago tayo mag-revise ng ating mask policy,” she noted.
Singapore has relaxed most of its outdoor and indoor mask requirements as the country sees its COVID-19 cases stabilize further. Currently, masks are only required in public transportation and high-risk settings like healthcare facilities.
READ: Singapore to drop most indoor mask requirements next week
According to data from the city-state’s Ministry of Health as of Tuesday, only 241 individuals are currently hospitalized, with only 13 needing oxygen supplementation. In the last seven days, they have recorded 1,714 new cases.
For the past 30 days, 73,843 have been infected with COVID-19, with 99.7 percent having mild or no symptoms at all.
There have been calls for similar policies to be instituted already in the Philippines. Last Sunday, Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia backed Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama’s position that wearing face masks should be ‘nonobligatory,’ citing the same policy that Singapore has enforced.
However, several health experts feel that it is not yet the proper time to enforce such policy in the Philippines, saying that it is very dangerous as it could lead to more cases given that not many have taken booster shots after their primary COVID-19 vaccines.
Singapore’s Ministry of Health says 96 percent of the eligible population have been vaccinated against COVID-19, while 79 percent of their total population have already received booster shots.
In contrast, only about 72.3 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with more than 17.3 million receiving their first boost dose and more than 1.9 million having their second booster dose.