MANILA, Philippines — The population must first build up its “wall of immunity” before the government can allow the optional use of face masks outdoors, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a news briefing on Tuesday.
“And how do we now increase that wall of immunity and have it again here? We can have our booster shots…. so that we can say that level of protection for the population has already gone up,” Vergeire said, speaking in a mix of Filipino and English.
Talks about making the wearing of masks optional followed after Cebu province allowed it outdoors, effectively defying national COVID-19 response guidelines.
On Saturday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that the government could make the wearing of face masks optional only if the booster rollout would be successful.
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