Mandatory wearing of mask returns in Manila City Hall

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16) — Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna has announced that all employees and individuals with transactions in the Manila City Hall and its satellite offices are now required to wear a face mask at all times.

"Patuloy po ang pagtaas ng kaso ng COVID dito po sa ating lungsod, kaya po simula sa araw na ito ay mahigpit nating ipatutupad ang pagsuot ng face mask sa loob ng inyong mga tanggapan at sa lahat po ng dadayo sa Manila City hall," she said on Monday.

[Translation: COVID cases continue to go up in our city, so starting today, we will strictly impose the mandatory weating of face masks in the city hall and those who will have transactions here.]

The local government unit clarified that there is no new ordinance reimposing the mask mandate in the entire city.

Meanwhile, the Quezon City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (QCESU) on Tuesday strongly encouraged the public to wear their face masks if they're indoors or in a crowded space amid a slight increase in COVID-19 cases in the city.

It advised individuals who are feeling unwell or experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough, or runny nose to immediately isolate themselves for a period of five days and refrain from leaving their homes.

The Department of Health on Monday reported that new COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 12,414 on May 8-14. With an average of 1,773 cases per day, the latest tally reflected a 31% increase from the previous week.

OCTA Research fellow Guido David said the National Capital Region’s positivity rate was at 25.4% as of May 13, slightly higher than the 22.7% seen a week earlier.