Pinayuhan ng Department of Health (DOH) ang publiko na hindi kailangang magsuot ng face mask kung wala namang respiratory infection.
Sa press briefing sa Malacañang, sinabi ni Dr. Celia Carlos ng DOH-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), kailangan lamang magsuot ng face mask kung may ubo at hirap na paghinga, kung nagbibigay ng medical care sa mga mayroong respiratory symptoms at kung health worker na gumagamot sa may respiratory illnes.
Ayon kay Dr. Carlos, wala pang community transmission ng Wuhan coronavirus kaya hindi nila inirerekomenda ang pagsuot ng face mask sa general public.
Sa mga bibiyahe naman, kailangan lang magpahinga mabuti at magpabakuna laban sa trangkaso.
Mababa rin daw ang fatality rate ng Wuhan coronavirus na nasa 2 percent lamang kumpara sa rabbies na 99 percent, MERSCoV na nasa 34percent at Ebola na 39.8 percent o halos 40 percent.
“And the questions of: ‘Should we wear mask?’ This has been addressed in many occasions and this is a poster from the WHO. Yes, we wear mask if we have respiratory symptoms such as cough and difficulty of breathing; if we are providing care to individuals with respiratory symptoms; and if you are a health worker and attending to individuals with respiratory symptoms. Currently, since there is no community transmission of the Novel Coronavirus in the Philippines, we are not recommending its use for the general public who do not have respiratory symptoms,” ani Dr. Carlos.
