COVID-19 curfew to be lifted in Metro Manila starting Nov. 4—MMDA
Starting Thursday, Nov. 4, Metro Manila will no longer implement curfew hours in preparation for the influx of shoppers for the holiday season.
According to Metro Manila Development Authority chairperson Benhur Abalos, the decision was made after a discussion with mall owners in the National Capital Region in anticipation of the Christmas shopping period. “Dahil magkukumpulan na po ang mga tao, dapat i-spread out po talaga eh, hindi pwedeng sabay-sabay,” he said in an interview on TeleRadyo.
While COVID-19 curfew will be lifted, Abalos noted that the opening of karaoke bars and the like would still depend on the alert level guidelines in the area. “We’re always guided by the alert level activities and capacity. Depende po yan kung allowed yung activity na yun,” explained Abalos.
The curfew was previously set between 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. to curb the spread of the virus. However, there has been a continued decline in the number of infections, with the Department of Health logging the lowest single-day record in almost eight months on Nov. 2.
Apart from the lifting of COVID-19 curfew, mall owners have agreed to operate from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. starting Nov. 15. “Bukod po rito, nakiusap po ako na baka pwedeng walang Christmas sale ng weekdays—Lunes hanggang Biyernes. Baka pwedeng Linggo at Sabado lang at holidays. At ang deliveries baka po pwede ay gabi,” he shared.
“Ambag na rin natin ito sa ekonomiya ng ating bansa,” he continued.
As of Nov. 2, the DOH has recorded a total of 2,792,656 cases in the country, with 40,786 active cases, 2,708,466 recoveries, and 43,404 deaths.