THE DEPARTMENT of Education still requires the wearing of face masks in schools despite the announcement of local governments in Cebu that wearing of face mask is optional in open spaces.

Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, DepEd Central Visayas regional director, said that wearing face masks is an additional protection for teachers and students who attend face-to-face classes.

The mandatory use of face masks is both for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

“There’s no discrimination here. That has been our protocol and we don’t want to scare our parents and learners. Using face masks can prevent not only Covid19, but other viruses as well,” Jimenez said.

He added that schools will continue observing health and safety protocols.

Meanwhile, the official said that there has been no infection of Covid19 among students and teachers since the in-person classes began this school year.