MANILA - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday approved the voluntary use of face masks indoors and outdoors, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, under Marcos' Executive Order No. 7, use of face masks is still mandatory in the following settings:

• Healthcare facilities, including but not limited to, clinics, hospitals, laboratories, nursing homes and dialysis clinics
• Medical transport vehicles, such as ambulance and paramedic rescue vehicles
• Public transportation by land, air and sea.

Mask wearing is also still encouraged for the elderly, individuals with comorbidities, immunocompromised persons, pregnant women, unvaccinated individuals, and symptomatic individuals.

EO 7 also mandates the continuous implementation of minimum health standards.

The latest order comes more than a month after Marcos Jr. allowed the voluntary use of face masks in outdoor settings.

• Marcos allows voluntary face mask use outdoors

Since the start of the pandemic, the Philippines has logged 3.99 million COVID-19 infections, of which 21,215 are considered active cases, latest data from the DOH showed.

The tally includes over 63,000 fatalities.

So far, some 73.5 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against the disease. Those who have received the additional jab is at 20.5 million.

• DOH reports 1,379 new COVID-19 cases, 38 deaths

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more News on iWantTFC