Pinayagan na ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ang boluntaryong paggamit ng masks sa labas o outdoor settings sa pamamagitan ng Executive Order No. 3 na pinirmahan ng Pangulo, ayon kay Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles nitong Lunes.

"Naglabas po tayo today ng Executive Order No. 3, allowing voluntary wearing of face masks in outdoor settings and reiterating the continued implementation of minimum public health standards during the state of public health emergency relating to the COVID-19 pandemic," saad ni Cruz-Angeles.

"Ito na po 'yung ina-announce ng DOH na voluntary wearing of face masks outdoors, in non-crowded places, provided… kung kayo ay immunocompromised, seniors or hindi kumpleto ang bakuna, kailangan pa rin po mag-face mask or strongly encouraged ang face masks," dagdag niya.

Nakapaloob sa executive order na "the voluntary wearing of masks in open spaces and non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation is hereby allowed; provided that not fully vaccinated individuals, senior citizens, and immunocompromised individuals are highly encouraged to wear their masks and physical distancing will be observed at all times."

Pero paglilinaw ng Palasyo, kailangan pa rin umano ng masks sa "in indoor, private or public establishments, including in public transportation by land, air or sea, and in outdoor settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained."

Sinabi rin ni Cruz-Angeles "effective immediately" ang naturang kautusan kapag nailathala na sa Official Gazette o sa mga pahayagan.

Nang tanungin kung bakit pumayag si Marcos sa voluntary use ng face masks sa outdoor settings, sinabi ni Cruz-Angeles na 6 percent na lang ang layo ng bansa sa tinawag niyang "wall of immunity."

"He had imposed a condition and one of that is the establishment of the wall of immunity since we are 6 percent away from that then it's time. So we're doing this in stages, in phases so that we can have feedback on whether or not these new policies are working and how to make them more efficient," sabi ng Press Secretary.

"Hopefully, by the end of the year, we might be able to have a… to be voluntarily mask indoors as well," dagdag niya.