As many have welcomed the national government’s move to allow the optional wearing of face masks outdoors through Pres. Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.’s executive order (EO), some Davao folks are worried about the possible rise of COVID-19 cases after the city government declared it will abide by the new policy.
Both the city of government of Davao and Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC) are experiencing difficulties to hire more personnel to address the surge of COVID-19 cases in Davao Region.
Davaoeños must brace for the surge of the COVID-19 omicron variant that may last until middle of March.
Davao City has seen 75 new COVID-19 cases this week, which has prompted the city government to prepare for the possible rise of infection after the holiday season.
In Southern Mindanao, the human rights group Karapatan recorded 56 deaths of human rights defenders from the start of the Duterte administration from July 2016 to August 2021. The region also tallied 30 political detainees in the same period.