The local governments of Manila and Quezon City have banned Christmas caroling in the streets over the holidays amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Raffy Tima’s reported on “24 Oras” that the two cities prohibited the Filipino Christmas tradition to prevent the virus’s further spread.
On Sunday, the Joint Task Force COVID Shield backed the proposal to ban Christmas caroling to prevent virus transmission among children.
“Caroling has always been part of the Filipino tradition, I believe each and every one of us has his or her funny and meaningful stories of caroling, especially when we were children,” JTF COVID Shield commander Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar said.
“But the situation is currently different. We are facing a serious threat [from COVID-19], and we in the JTF COVID Shield believe that it is in the health interest of everybody if we could just stay home and enjoy the Yuletide season with our family.”
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government and National Task Force on COVID-19 Vice Chairman Eduardo Año also supported to prohibit caroling.
“Based on studies and statistics, the spread of COVID-19 is more likely to occur in mass singing like choir and caroling because singers have to remove their masks as they sing and viruses are released through aerosols,” chimed Año.
QC, Manila ban Christmas caroling amid pandemic
Earlier, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba proposed banning Christmas caroling.
“Karamihan kasi ng carolers namin dito, they are not even from our place. ‘Yung pagpupunta nila from one house to the other, natatakot kami doon because it might cause the upsurge of COVID cases,” Mamba said.
The governor added that there are very few COVID-19 cases in their province compared to other places in the country and want to keep it low.
According to Mamba, LGUs can issue an order, but it is different if the order comes from the IATF itself.
The Department of Health urged the public to follow health protocols during the Christmas holidays still.
“May lumabas po na pag-aaral, this is just last week that we got it na naipakita po diyan ‘yong pagkanta ng malakas, ‘yan po ‘yong pinakamataas na porsyento or highest yield of the virus if you are infected, mas marami kang nailalabas,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
