Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Tuesday the COVID-19 public emergency is lifted ''de facto'' but he is waiting for a formal order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to make it official.

“He (Marcos) said, it’s de facto, so it’s as if we have already lifted it. Masking is already optional, right? We will not extend it anymore,” Herbosa said at a press briefing.

“There’s still no formal order. We’re still waiting for it. Since we are in a de facto status, there are already people who go the mall without wearing a mask,” he added.

Last week, Herbosa said he would recommend the lifting of the state of public health emergency to Marcos.

Based on DOH data, the country has 4,165, 869 COVID-19 cases as of Monday.

Of this number, 6,846 are active cases while 66, 848 individuals have died.

Proclamation No. 922, released on March 8, 2020, provides that the State of Public Health Emergency will be in effect until lifted by the President.

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Jaspearl Tan/DMS