In a radio interview on Wednesday, August 24, Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser stated that some students are resistant to adhering to the minimum public health standards, particularly the mandatory use of face masks.
"Mao ni ako ginaingon... na these are the age groups, especially atong elementary, na wala gyud sila pakialam sa pag-wear og face mask," Schlosser said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
With this, she renewed her call to parents to vaccinate their children against Covid-19.
According to the health official, the vaccination rollout for children aged five to eleven has proven to be the most difficult.
"We are intensifying school-based vaccination, but the dilemma for our vaccination team is if parents refuse to have their children vaccinated. At the end of the day, no vaccination will occur if parents do not consent," Schlosser explained.
She also reminded parents to teach their children the importance of wearing face masks to prevent the virus from spreading.
The spokesperson said personnel from the Safety and Security Cluster are deployed in the city's schools and are strictly implementing the wearing of face masks as they continue to heighten monitoring of the Covid-19 cases in the city.
She also urged both teaching and non-teaching personnel to ensure that their students and learners wear face masks inside classrooms and schools.
Jenielito Atillo, spokesperson for the Department of Education-Davao Region (DepEd-Davao), stated in a virtual press conference on the same day that their office follows the guidelines set by the Department of Health in terms of the conduct of F2F classes.
In addition to the health reminders, Atillo stated that students should not face each other during lunch break to avoid the transmission of droplets.
"They must only face in one direction, with their mask off kay magkaon man (because they are eating). Also, no talking," he said.
According to Atillo, Vice President Sara Duterte directed that schools have a "control infection plan" and a "containment strategy" in place in case of a possible surge of cases.
"We're actually preparing for the worst-case scenario... If there is a surge, God forbid, we'll be ready with all the health protocols and infection-control plans," the official said.
This is also the strategy used to treat Monkeypox.
DepEd-Davao reported that 1,274,784 students from kindergarten to senior high school, from public and private institutions, had enrolled for the school year 2022-2023.
After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the country held its first F2F classes on Monday, August 22.
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