MANILA, Philippines — Silent nights could await Filipinos once the holidays come around, with the quarantine enforcement task force announcing that it backed calls to ban caroling ahead of the forthcoming Christmas season, it disclosed Sunday.
In a statement sent to reporters, the Joint Task Force COVID Shield said this was due to the danger of coronavirus infection, especially for children who may be encouraged to go out in areas whose local governments would be allowing the practice.
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Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, commander of the JTF CV Shield, said the task force was still awaiting the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the proposal.
“Caroling has always been part of the Filipino tradition...but the situation is currently different. We are facing a serious threat of Corona Virus Disease (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,” he said.
But Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, who sits as vice chair of the IATF, said he also supports the caroling ban this year and would recommend the ban be implemented nationwide.
“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,” he said.
Researchers warn of possible coronavirus resurgence amid holidays
On Friday, Mathematics professor Guido David, of the OCTA Research group, said the government must be ready to immediately respond to an uptick of new cases to prevent a surge.
“We are aware that when the holiday season comes, people already have fatigue and would want to go out,” he said in Filipino in an interview with TeleRadyo.
“It is possible to have an uptick but what is important is for us to have an immediate response. So in case there is a small uptick of cases, we will be able to control it and it will not worsen and be a surge,” he added.
Children are considered as the most affected by the community quarantine rules since they could no longer do what they used to enjoy before the pandemic, the joint task force said in its statement.
In a briefing, the health department also urged the public to celebrate Christmas with caution amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Social and family gatherings must be kept with less people as possible,” DOH Health Promotion Bureau officer Rodley Carza said.
“Preferably people within the same household will be attending the gathering and activities requiring travel to areas with higher quarantine classification shall be avoided."
— Franco Luna