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ART TOPIC A man walks along Osmeña Avenue in the city of Makati, passing a mural that represents a health worker who carries the weight of the world. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
The government is considering easing the curfew in Metro Manila, but wants companies to organize work shifts to avoid peak hours that pose risks of coronavirus transmission.
In a Facebook Live video on Saturday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said that the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases and the 17 mayors of Metro Manila were discussing the relaxation of the curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 p.m. am in the region to allow for longer business hours.
The business community has long advocated easing the curfew to increase economic activities and allow more people to return to work.
Late start of curfew
Nograles, co-chair of the task force, defended the curfew, saying it was meant to protect public health during the pandemic.
“The request of the business community and the mayors of Metro Manila [is] OK with us. If we want to keep the curfew, it shouldn’t be that early, ”Nograles said.
He said it was possible to delay the curfew until midnight or 1 a.m. Nograles suggested “staggered” work shifts to avoid overcrowding on roads and public transport.
Metro Manila is the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the country and accounts for the majority of new daily infections.
On Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,502 additional infections, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases to 339,341.
Of the new infections, 782 were from Metro Manila, 141 from Rizal, 128 from Laguna, 125 from Cavite and 119 from Bulacan.
The DOH said 83 more patients had died, bringing the death toll to 6,321.
It also reported 17,057 recoveries, including mild and asymptomatic patients who had completed 14 days of isolation, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 293,075.
That left the country with 39,945 active cases, of which 83.0 percent were mild, 11.2 percent asymptomatic, 1.8 percent severe, and 3.9 percent critical. –WITH A REPORT FROM TINA G. SANTOS INQ
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