The change in campaigning which is considered a “superspreader event” such as political rallies in the upcoming elections would be restricted, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“Because of the COVID situation magkakaroon ng changes sa actual campaign. ‘Yung mga kampanya where the candidates will be there, rallies, etcetera. Hindi na y’an kagaya noong dati kasi alam mo naman kinatatakutan natin dito ‘yung superspreader events. Campaigns will be superspreader events,” said Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho.
According to Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez, they will lay down rules on going to political rallies.
“We will be proposing and putting into place guidelines that will restrict kung kakayanin ng mga tao na mag-gather sa public rallies,” said Jimenez.
“Dapat ay mayroong limit doon sa puwedeng mag-attend. Of course, i-insist natin na kailangan kung mag-a-attend ka, dapat naka-face mask at face shield ka,” he added.
The Department of Health (DOH) also opposes any kind of mass gathering during the campaign and elections, especially if a small portion of the population will be vaccinated.
Campaign restrictions expected for 2022 elections: Comelec
“It’s not just the wearing of face mask, face shield we’re talking about but also making sure that we practice physical distancing and more importantly, no mass gatherings until perhaps after a lot of us have been vaccinated,” said DOH Health Promotion and Communications Director Dr. Beverly Ho.
The DOH also reminded that gatherings are small and are held in a well-ventilated or well-ventilated area.
For Ho, campaign organizers have a big responsibility.
“Doon sa pag-set up niyo pa lang ng area mame-make sure niyo na makakapag-physical distance po – so those types of mechanisms are what we would be expecting from responsible organizers of these events and hopefully they will be very, very small,” said Ho.
The Comelec has once again reopened voter registration in areas under general and modified general community quarantine.
It will be held from Monday to Friday at the Comelec offices from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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