The Department of Health (DOH) joins the global call to make mask use mandatory in order to reduce virus transmission. This is also in observance of World Mask Week, an international mask-wearing movement launched in collaboration with the Pandemic Action Network and the CDC Foundation, which will run until August 14. The weeklong observance is a reminder of the importance of daily mask-wearing in going out of the home.

According to Eloise Todd, co-founder of the Pandemic Action Network, the purpose of the World Mask Week is to “build momentum to enlist more policymakers, leaders, and influencers to adopt and reinforce pro-mask policies by bringing together multiple mask campaigns currently underway.”

For World Mask Week, the DOH is doing its part by enjoining leaders in government and national agencies alike to be part of the movement, using their sphere of influence to encourage the public to wear masks in order to curb transmission of COVID-19.

In addition, the DOH is encouraging the public to show support by sharing a statement, picture, or video on social media, with the hashtag #WorldMaskWeek. In the social media campaign launched by the Pandemic Action Network and DOH, their influencers use social media to advocate for the importance of mask wearing.

Until a vaccine or cure is developed, mask-wearing remains one of the most effective and feasible health practices that can protect the public from possible infection; masks serve as barriers, preventing the virus from being inhaled by uninfected people, and preventing infected persons from spreading them.

The DOH also includes mask-wearing among the important health protocols, such as physical distancing and handwashing, that can curb the transmission of the virus. In a recent pronouncement, Dr. Beverly Ho, Director of the DOH’s Health Promotion Bureau elaborated, “According to studies, kung magsuot ka ng mask – mababawasan ang tsansang mahawa ng 85%. Kung io-observe mo ang physical distancing ng isang metro – mababawasan ang tsansang mahawa ng 80%. Kung mag-face shield ka naman – mababawasan ang tsansang mahawa by 78%.”

Even prior to participating in the World Mask Week, the DOH’s BIDA Solusyon campaign has continually rallied the Filipino people to persist in their observance of the minimum health protocols to safeguard themselves and their loved ones.

B stands for bawal ang walang mask or not wearing of a mask is prohibited; I stands for i-sanitize ang mga kamay, iwas hawak sa mga bagay or always wash or sanitize your hands, and avoid touching things; D means dumistansya ng isang metro or maintain a distance of at least one meter from other people near you; and A stands for alamin ang totoong impormasyon or know the correct information and updates about the pandemic.

On top of supporting World Mask Week, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire stressed that following the BIDA campaign is also a way of empowering the country’s healthcare workers. “When we protect ourselves, we protect our countrymen in the frontlines and prevent them from getting overwhelmed,” Singh-Vergeire said.

“Maliwanag na ang paggapi sa pandemyang ito ay mangyayari lamang kung magtutulungan ang bawat tao, pribadong sektor, at lokal na pamahalaan. Ang laban sa COVID ay laban nating lahat,” the Health Undersecretary emphasized.