Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista has backed the position of health experts that masks should be still worn inside public transportation to ease the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.

Bautista on Saturday urged people to continue following health and safety protocols, including refraining from talking and eating when inside public utility vehicles.

He said that PUV operators must be firm in not allowing passengers with Covid-19 symptoms like fever to board.

"Our collective fight against the Covid-19 pandemic is showing signs that we are making improvements in bringing down the number of cases," Bautista said.

"We need to remain vigilant especially in public areas, until such time that we have totally won against Covid-19," he added.

Health department officer in charge Maria Rosario Vergeire has recommended that masks should still be worn inside PUVs even if their optional use outdoors has been proposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid.

Cebu City has legislated an ordinance allowing the optional use of masks outdoors. Iloilo City has followed suit.

Vergeire warned that masks should only be removed in "low-risk settings" and by "low-risk individuals."