Due to hoarding of masks, alcohol and sanitizer and other products that can be helpful amid the crisis, the demand for these supplies have quickly increased.
But unfortunately, we still can not provide enough for them, especially the front liners who have a higher risk of getting the disease due to their extreme exposure with COVID-19 positive patients.
And it was even before this outbreak that inadequacy of surgical masks and N95 masks occurred, but during the Taal Volcano eruption where it exploded volcanic ashes very much harmful to the lungs.
But announcement from the Task Force has recently reminded people that there are no reason to hoard masks for they are not even needed by healthy people, especially for the citizens who only go out to replenish their stocks.
Supermarkets, groceries and pharmacies are advised to not require their customers to wear face masks before entering their area but to only strictly observe social distancing.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases had not provided any guidelines or order that customers must wear face masks before entering supermarkets.
“Our rules only stress social distancing inside supermarkets,” Nograles, the IATF spokesperson, stated in a public briefing on Monday over a state-run on PTV 4.
“So let’s just follow that, social distancing. The supermarkets can determine how many people they can accommodate inside to ensure that there is still social distancing.” Nograles continued.
SOURCE: inquirer