Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 16) — The commander of Joint Task Force COVID Shield is asking the public to change the way they celebrate Christmas and the New Year, as precautions remain in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the reminders of PLtGen Cesar Binag is to avoid unnecessary holiday travel in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.
“Unang-una, sana huwag na silang umuwi (sa mga probinsya) kung hindi lang din naman essential o emergency, huwag na silang umuwi yun ang pakiusap ng gobyerno… para naman makatulong sila sa pagpapatupad natin sa iba’t-ibang protocol laban sa COVID,” he told Newsroom Ngayon.
[Translation: First, the government is asking them not to travel home to their provinces if it isn’t essential or an emergency…so they can help in enforcing the anti-COVID protocols.]
Should travel be unavoidable, Binag said travelers must be aware of the restrictions and protocols being enforced in the area they are going to. They must also secure the proper documents and permits so they do not encounter any hassles on their trip.
“Huwag nating asahan na parehas ang pagcelebrate natin ng Christmas ng mga nakaraang taon. Iba talaga ngayon,” he added.
[Translation: Don’t expect that we will celebrate the same way we did in past years. It’s very different now.]
Binag stressed big celebrations are still prohibited, and appealed to the public to think about other people before considering attending or hosting one.
“Ang appeal natin in general, ay sana naman magkaroon tayo ng malasakit unang-una sa sarili natin, tapos malasakit sa pamilya natin… Kaya nga yung sinasabi natin kung magce-celebrate tayo ay sa immediate family members. Ito yung sa loob ng bahay niyo na sigurado kayo na yung exposure ay parehas sa inyo, o halos malapit,” he said.
[Translation: Our general appeal is we hope they think about themselves and their family… That’s why we ask that if you celebrate, keep it within your family. The people you live with and have the same exposure as you.]
Earlier this week, the OCTA Research Team said Metro Manila’s reproduction rate or Ro is now at 1.06, higher than the 0.99 recorded as of Sunday and the 0.95 over the past week. The data refers to the number of people an infected person will pass the virus on to.
According to the research team, the lowest reproduction rate was at 0.66, recorded in Metro Manila on October 21. The highest was 1.65 in July.
To date, the Department of Health said COVID-19 cases in the country have reached 452,988.
Davao City tallied the highest number of new infected residents with 126, the DOH said. This is followed by Quezon City with 66, Rizal with 64, Bulacan with 56, and the City of Manila with 38.
Watch the interview here.
