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MANILA, Philippines – Christmas carols and office parties will not be allowed in Metro Manila this holiday season, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said Monday.
In a radio interview, Olivarez, head of the Metro Manila Council, said mayors discussed the ban during their meeting on Sunday night.
The mayors, he said, decided to recommend to the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to keep Metro Manila under general community quarantine until the end of the year to prevent an increase in new coronavirus infections during the Christmas season. (See related story on this page). “We talked about the suspension of Christmas carols. Christmas carols and Christmas parties will not be allowed, ”Olivarez said.
He said that the Christmas holiday ban would be for both public and private offices.
Attendance at public meetings will be limited to 10 people, he added.
No visits
The Department of Health (DOH) and the medical community on Monday asked people to abandon plans to visit family and friends before the holidays, warning that because the coronavirus has an incubation period of 14 days, there is the possibility of a peak. in new infections during Christmas week.
The Secretary of Health, Francisco Duque III, urged the public to limit the celebrations to immediate family members.
“Please do not invite other relatives who would come from other places because we cannot be sure if they are COVID-19 free. by [Filipinos overseas], there are several videoconferencing platforms [that they can use]”Duque said at a press conference.
The Alliance of Health Professionals Against COVID-19 made a similar appeal, saying that people who attend large gatherings indoors where there is poor ventilation are at higher risk of contracting the virus.
But if it can’t be avoided, the alliance’s Dr. Antonio Dans said those who will meet should opt for outdoor locations where air can circulate better, observe the 1-meter distance rule, and wear masks and face shields.
Ideally, he said, the interaction should last less than 30 minutes.
People using public transportation must carefully plan their trips to avoid rush hours, as well as being crowded with other commuters for a longer period, Dans said.
The alliance also recommended to the public to buy and listen to mass online.
Transmission increase
Earlier, the head of the World Health Organization’s health emergencies program, Mike Ryan, said that after Canada celebrated its Thanksgiving celebration in October, it saw an increase in transmission of the coronavirus.
“We don’t want that to happen to our country, that’s why we are already coming out with these reminders. Let’s remember that we will not immediately see the effects of our meetings, ”said Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, member of the alliance and president of the Philippine Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases of the Philippines. “We can see the effects at Christmas. We are trying to avoid a surge [in infections] during this period.”
Current evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, has an incubation period of one to 12.5 days.
A study by Dans and other researchers on 5,000 workers in July found that out of 100 people, 4 percent were infected but were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.
The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, said Monday that the guidelines do not intend to suppress the celebration of Christmas, traditionally the most festive in the country.
“No one is saying that the celebration of Christmas should end. We just remind you that there are other options to celebrate this important occasion, because we know that [Filipinos] we want to celebrate it with everyone we love, ”said Vergeire.
But for next Christmas, let’s try to be unselfish. Remember that COVID-19 is still a threat. Everything we do can affect others, “he added.
For more news on the new coronavirus, click here.
What you need to know about the coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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