Philippines eases outdoor mask mandate

Thursday, September 15, 2022

On Tuesday, an official said that the Philippines is hoping to get a major boost in its tourism revival initiations with the raising of its outdoor mask mandate, as the country is expecting to catch up with most other Southeast Asian countries that have implemented this already.

Known for its white sand beaches, this archipelagic country is famous for its diving spots that were reopened in February to the travelers who are fully vaccinated, after remaining closed for two years. On Monday, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the President, issued an executive order, which allows for the voluntary wearing of face masks outdoors, with over 72 million out of its 110 million populations fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Department of Tourism explained that empirical data pinpointed the fact that raising strict health measures in other countries had caused increase in tourists and a much rapid revival of the tourism. At present, Myanmar in Southeast Asia, is the only country to ease their outdoor mask permission.

Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said in a statement that the DOT is hopeful that erasing of the mask mandate will let Philippines to catch up in the revival race gradually in the ASEAN region. Frasco said that their revival prospects are much brighter with the Philippines’ signal to the world that they are now open and ready to move forward.

The economy of Philippines is tourism dependent which in 2019 generated 2.51 trillion pesos.

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