8 in 10 Pinoys wear face mask outside home
A majority of Filipinos have taken steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, like wearing face mask and practicing social distancing when going out of the house, according to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The survey was released yesterday as the government announced plans to further ease community quarantine rules in many areas, including the densely populated Metro Manila, triggering fears of a second wave of infection due to violations of health protocols by the public.
The special SWS survey, conducted from May 4 to 10, found 77 percent of Filipinos say they “always” use a face mask when going out of their houses, 68 percent “always” wash their hands several times a day, and 64 percent “always” keep “social distance” or a safe distance of one meter from other people when outside their homes.
The proportion of people practicing preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus was highest in the Visayas at 80 percent, followed by Mindanao at 79 percent, Metro Manila at 78 percent, and balance
Luzon at 75 percent.
The number of people who “always” wear a face mask was highest in the Visayas at 80 percent, followed by Mindanao at 79 percent, Metro Manila at 78 percent, and balance Luzon at 75 percent.
Adherence to the social distancing rule was highest in the Visayas at 69 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 67 percent, Mindanao at 64 percent, and balance Luzon at 60 percent.
Those who say they “always” wash their hands is slightly higher in Mindanao at 74 percent than in the Visayas at 73 percent. It was 68 percent in Metro
Manila and 63 percent in balance Luzon.
The SWS survey was conducted using mobile phone and computerassisted telephone interviewing of 4,010 Filipinos, aged 15 years old and above, nationwide.
The government, through the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, has required the wearing of face masks in public places to help limit the transmission of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Malacañang yesterday reminded the public to take precautionary measures against the coronavirus after a survey indicated that a huge majority of Filipinos are worried that they or anyone in their immediate family might catch the disease.
A nationwide SWS poll released over the weekend found 87 percent of Filipinos worried that they or a member of their immediate family might get infected with the virus. Only 13 percent said they are not worried.
“We should be worried about COVID-19 as long as we do not have a vaccine or a medicine. But we do not need to put a halt on our lives,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said at a press briefing.