MANILA, Philippines – The Makati City Council has passed a city ordinance penalizing anyone not wearing a face mask in public as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19.
According to the city government’s official Facebook account, offenders of City Ordinance No. 2020-089 will be fined P1,000 for the first offense, P3,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to six months for the third offense.
Aside from public places, wearing face masks are also required in other common areas such condominiums, hotels, motels, apartments, apartelles, and similar areas.
The ordinance also authorizes business, commercial, and other establishments along with transport service providers to ensure that people who would enter buildings or ride public vehicles are wearing face masks.
Last April 2, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said that the wearing of face masks in public was already required to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a virtual press briefing, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, the IATF spokesperson, said that face masks, earloop masks, indigenous, reusable or do-it-yourself masks, face shields, and handkerchiefs would be allowed to help prevent the further spread of the respiratory disease.
The city ordinance is one of two regulations recently passed in Makati, with the other ordinance mandating 14-day quarantine for patients suspected of carrying the latest coronavirus strain.
As of April 12, the Makati Health Department had registered 170 COVID-19 cases in the city, of whom 18 died and 23 recovered.
Makati and the rest of Luzon are still under an enhanced community quarantine, which will last until April 30.
DOH officials said that, as of Monday, there are 4,932 infected patients — 315 of which have already died while at least 242 have recovered.
Worldwide, over 1.8 million individuals have been infected, while 114,063 have died from the disease and 421,500 have recovered from it.
/atm