Health expert: Voluntary masking indoors may cause rise in COVID-19 cases anew

An infectious diseases expert on Wednesday warned of a possible increase in COVID-19 cases once the country shifts to voluntary wearing of face masks in indoor areas.

Dr. Rontgene Solante said that while the announcement that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is set to issue an executive order easing the face mask mandate indoors did not come as a surprise, he remains skeptical about it, especially with the recent detection of the Omicron XBB subvariant and XBC variant.

“Talagang may agam-agam pa rin tayo diyan, especially for now na nandito ang XBB and XBC. When you make face mask optional indoors, then meron talagang risk ‘yan,” Solante said in a public briefing.

(We still have doubts about this, especially now that the XBB and XBC are here. When you make face masks optional indoors, then there is really a risk.)

“It might cause increase in cases, but I hope it will not overwhelm our healthcare utilization also,” he added.

He explained that there is always a possibility of infections in indoor settings, especially if they are crowded. This may then be risky for those who are unvaccinated and the vulnerable sector, if they decide not to wear their face masks.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, shared the same sentiment, saying it is better to continue wearing masks in indoor spaces as long as the coronavirus mutates.

“Habang nagkakaroon ng bagong variants, habang palapit ang Undas at Pasko, mga family reunion, hindi magiging masama, kundi mabuti na patuloy tayo magmask lalo na sa indoor at airconditioned mga kulob na lugar kahit outdoors lalo na kung mayroon tayo mga miyembro tayo ng pamilya, mga households na immunocompromised o kaya malubha ang sakit, hindi na po masama iyon,” said Hontiveros, a member of the Senate health committee.

(While there are new variants being detected and the All Saints' Day and Christmas season are fast-approaching, it will be better if we will continue to wear masks in indoor and air conditioned spaces. Even if we are in an outdoor space, it will not harm us if we wear masks especially if we have members of the family who are immunocompromised.)

She mentioned South Korea's continuous implementation of mandatory wearing of face masks for at least three more months even if they have a higher rate of vaccination than the Philippines.

“Habang hindi pa natutuldukan ang COVID-19 pandemic, and may diseases of international concern, 'yung monkeypox at iba pa, makakabuti kung obserbahan pa ang minimum public health protocols kasama ang masking,” she said.

(As long as the COVID-19 pandemic persists, notwithstanding the diseases of international concern such as monkeypox, it is better if we observe the minimum public health protocols which include masking.)

Hontiveros also argued that masking is the “most low cost intervention” amid the threat of COVID-19 pandemic, adding that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

“Kung maging preventive, proactive, promotive ang health practices natin, mas matipid tulad ng sa pagmamask, at mas magtitipid kaysa sa magkakaCOVID, knock on wood, lumubha ito, dagdag na strain at burden sa ating nageextra effort na public health system,” she said.

(If we will impose preventive, proactive, and promotive health practices such as wearing of masks, it would be cheaper than contracting COVID-19 as it will add more burden to our public health system.)

Further, Hontiveros said it is better to continue wearing face masks in schools as most of the classrooms are crowded and not well ventilated.

In making the mask-wearing indoors optional, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said Tuesday that people unvaccinated against COVID-19, those with comorbidities, and senior citizens are still “highly encouraged” to wear masks.

Face masks will also still be required in public transportation, medical transportation and medical facilities.

Solante said that this policy also has its advantages, particularly in granting people the responsibility to decide if it would be better for them to wear their masks or not.

“I think ang overall advantage pa rin dito is that…we want to empower people to decide on their own what is best for them. It will put more responsibility on the people para naman ma-determine nila kung ano ang risk nila [to determine their risks] if they will be indoor, and they will be putting on or putting off their mask,” he said.

For its part, the Department of Health (DOH) has maintained that people will be more protected against COVID-19 if they use more layers of protection such as masking, vaccination, physical distancing, proper ventilation, sanitation, and taking care of their health.

The DOH also urged the public to weigh their personal risks before determining whether to take off their face masks, particularly during the holidays. — with Hana Bordey/RSJ, GMA News