With only a few days to the Christmas holidays, the Department of Health provided suggestions that could help prevent COVID-19 transmissions such as giving face masks and face shields and other creative ways as alternatives to traditional Christmas gifts.
“If you love your family, keep them safe and healthy,” said a statement from the DOH.
“The number of daily new COVID-19 cases may be on the downward trend but we should not let our guards down, especially now that the holidays are upon us,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.
He added that even if the government was now looking at several vaccine candidates and talking to several bilateral and multilateral partners, the country is still far from being safe.
“When planning for the holiday gift-giving, think of ligtas na regalo — which gifts can make them safe. One thing we recommend are face masks which may serve as a constant reminder to the recipient to wear one,” Duque said.
Aside from face masks and face shields, healthy food and fruits, exercise gadgets/equipment that promote physical activity and help improve body resistance against diseases may also be given as holiday presents.
Videoke singing
The Department of the Interior and Local Government on Thursday said indoor videoke singing sessions limited to members of a household was allowed.
In a Laging Handa briefing, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, however, said inviting neighbors to join the singing session was a different story.
“There is no problem if you sing inside your house. But if you are already outside your house or maybe inside your house but you invite neighbors to come, that becomes a public exercise of karaoke. We highly discourage public karaoke. But if you are only two or three inside the house and you are far from each other, we don’t see anything wrong with it,” Malaya said.
He said videoke and karaoke bars would remain closed in compliance with quarantine protocols amid the coronavirus disease 2019.
Yuletide revelry
The Department of Health has discouraged the use of “torotot” or the traditional yuletide revelry horn as Filipinos prepare to welcome Christmas and the New Year — as this could be a source of transmission of COVID-19.
In a press briefing for their Christmas campaign on Thursday, Health Secretary Duque advised in a video message to use other alternatives for firecrackers such as drums and vehicle horns.
“Aside from fireworks, we should also avoid the use of torotots and the like to prevent possible infection with COVID-19 and other diseases,” Duque said.
Unlike in previous years, the DOH is now discouraging even the use of these alternative noisemakers as the coronavirus can be transferred through them.
DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said these instruments may cause transfer of saliva.
Truck ban
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority on Thursday announced it would resume the implementation of the truck ban along major thoroughfares to ease traffic in the National Capital Region this holiday season.
The resumption of the ban was also made upon the recommendation of members of Metro Manila Council, composed of the 17 mayors in the NCR, the governing board and the policy-making body of the MMDA.
“Vehicles travelling on the streets of Metro Manila increase as Christmas approaches so we will return the implementation of the truck ban beginning Dec 14 to help ease traffic,” said MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr.
Under the regulation, trucks and heavy vehicles with a gross capacity weight of more than 4,500 kilograms are not allowed on major thoroughfares from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day except Sundays and holidays.