Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno said in a press conference today, April 13, that he has signed an ordinance requiring all residents to wear face masks in public places.

Under what Moreno called as the “Face Mask Ordinance,” the city government is set to distribute around 200,000 locally-made face masks to Kagay-anons.

“I’m sure most of the residents already have their face masks, so what we will be distributing will only serve as an augmentation,” Moreno said.

Moreno added that the masks will be for civilian use and not for the local hospitals (as the latter will have different provisions of Personal Protective Equipment or PPE).

“We prohibit anyone from being in a public place without wearing a face mask,” Moreno said.

The city government is set to coordinate with community leaders, police personnel, and health professionals in its implementation.

Moreno hopes that with this ordinance, the public will cooperate in the call to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The mayor said: “We should not be complacent in dealing with the virus. We need to continue our defenses. Please stay at home, wash your hands regularly, and pray that we can all get over with COVID-19 soon.”

The guidelines for the “Face Mask Ordinance” will be disseminated in the coming days.

Moreno also shared that he is about to sign the ordinance on the issuance of Barangay Exit Passes.