18K daily COVID cases seen if PH lifts mask rule indoors - DOH

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MANILA — The country&#x27;s daily COVID-19 cases may reach as high as 18,000 towards the end of the year should government make indoor mask-wearing voluntary, the Department of Health said Thursday.According to DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, coronavirus infections are expected to increase amid relaxed pandemic protocols.&quot;Meron ho tayong scientific projections na nagawa kung saan sinasabi sa projections towards November and December of this year kung magtatanggal tayo ng mask, maaaring tumaas ang kaso natin from 2,500, that&#x27;s the lower limit, to as high as 18,000,&quot; she told TeleRadyo.While the DOH has illustrated all potential scenarios to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Friday regarding the use of face masks, Vergeire reiterated that the IATF is a collegial body that takes into consideration the concerns of all sectors.&quot;Ang atin lang pong pinaalala, naging parang compromise natin is that there would be a unified messaging wherein dapat ang tao tuturuan natin na this is an informed choice,&quot; she said. &quot;Alam nila kung ano ang risk nila. They know when to wear their mask. Kailangan sa public transport [at] health facilities ay highly encouraged &#x27;yung mga mask and also for the vulnerable,&quot; she added.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/25/22/ph-to-relax-rule-on-wearing-of-mask-indoors-official">Marcos Jr. to issue EO lifting mandatory wearing of face masks in indoor spaces</a></li></ul>Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco disclosed Tuesday that the government is planning to lift the mandatory wearing of masks in indoor settings.Unvaccinated individuals, persons with comorbidities and older people are still &quot;highly encouraged&quot; to wear masks, she said of the plan.The Philippines is also set to waive other health protocols for travelers, including the requirement of presenting negative RT-PCR test results upon arrival, she added.Since the pandemic began, the country has recorded 3.99 million COVID-19 infections, of which 21,325 were considered active cases as of Wednesday. The tally includes 63,883 fatalities. Around 73.49 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against the virus, of whom close to 20.5 million have received their booster.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/26/22/philippines-reports-1121-new-covid-cases">Philippines reports 1,121 new COVID cases, 37 deaths</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2311542" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The country's daily COVID-19 cases may reach as high as 18,000 towards the end of the year should government make indoor mask-wearing voluntary.

18K daily COVID cases seen if PH lifts mask rule indoors - DOH | ABS-CBN

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18K daily COVID cases seen if PH lifts mask rule indoors - DOH

18K daily COVID cases seen if PH lifts mask rule indoors - DOH

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 27, 2022 09:52 AM PHT

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Updated Oct 27, 2022 10:07 AM PHT

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