All minors aged 12-years-old and below are required to wear face masks when entering establishments and public spaces like malls, Cabinet Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles said on Friday, November 26. 

Nograles said the measure followed the government coronavirus task force’s latest resolution mandating all public and private establishments to implement minimum public health standards, including the wearing of face masks. 

“Establishments have the authority to refuse people who are not wearing or cannot wear a face mask – this includes minors – entry into their establishments, and we are calling on LGUs [local government units] to ensure that this is strictly enforced,” Nograles said in Filipino during a briefing. 

Malacañang made the statement after Metro Manila mayors earlier said they would defer to the government’s coronavirus task force when deciding rules that covered the mobility of children aged 12 and below. 

The age group is among the last set of individuals who are not yet eligible to receive coronavirus vaccines in the Philippines. It was only in November when health officials and the Food and Drug Administration extended the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines to those aged 12 to 17-years-old. 

The government coronavirus task force’s decision to require that minors aged 12 and below wear face masks in public spaces comes as officials are pushing to further relax restrictions in Metro Manila. 

Under Alert Level 1, the lowest and least restrictive quarantine level, there are no prohibited activities and all establishments are allowed to be fully operational. 

The Duterte government wants to reopen the capital region by December, when public spaces are typically packed for the holiday season, consumption is high, and Filipinos traditionally gather with families.

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The decision to keep masks on for minors aged 12 and below keeps with calls from the Department of Health (DOH) to comply with public health standards as vaccination continues. 

It was also among lessons Philippine health officials said they would draw on based on the experience of countries in Europe, where increasing cases and deaths have forced countries to reimpose lockdown measures and strict mandates on the unvaccinated. 

In the case of reopening, the DOH observed that several countries like the United Kingdom and Netherlands went as far as to lift mask mandates when relaxing restrictions. Others like Austria earlier waived mask requirements for vaccinated individuals, but have since required them again recently.

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 – Rappler.com