(The Manila Times) The number of Filipinos who continue to practice minimum health protocols to protect themselves from Covid-19 infection has dwindled, a survey conducted by Octa Research revealed.

The July 2021 Tugon ng Masa survey showed that majority of those polled -89 percent- said that they wear face masks.

Meanwhile, 85 percent said that they regularly wash their hands with water and soap or disinfect using alcohol.

Additionally, 70 percent said that they use face shields, and 64 percent said that they observe physical distancing.

“However, the percentage of adult Filipinos practicing either of these four measures decreased in the past month, with a face shield having the highest fall of 11 percent,” OCTA said in a statement.

This was followed by a decrease of 5, 3, and 2 percent in regular handwashing, observing physical distancing, and using face masks, respectively.

Moreover, 80 percent of Filipinos approve of the national government’s response to prevent the spread of Covid-19, with 30 percent reporting that they truly approve and 50 percent said that they somewhat approve.