A governor on Thursday called on the country’s inter-agency task force against COVID-19 to ban all forms of street caroling at the national level during the holidays to prevent the spread of the virus.
A ban from the Inter-Agency Task Force or IATF would be more effective compared to a local ordinance, said Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba.
“Karamihan kasi ng mga carolers namin dito, they're not even from our place. ‘Yung pagpunta nila from one house to the other, natatakot kami doon because it might cause the upsurge of COVID cases,” Mamba told Balitanghali.
(Many of our carolers here, they’re not even from our place. Their hopping from one house to the other, we’re scared of that because it might cause the upsurge of COVID cases.)
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“At least they know that there is a medical and scientific basis of what we are trying to ask dahil ang hirap nito... Tradisyon ito na ginagawa every year (This is difficult. It’s a tradition that’s done every year.),” Mamba said.
National Task Force COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. supports the idea and said he would bring it up during the next IATF meeting.
“It is the prerogative of the LGU because as we have said, the local government executives are the most knowledgeable people that can protect their constituents, what is best for them,” Galvez said.
A few Metro Manila mayors have already chosen to skip the year-end festivities due to the virus, with some discouraging celebrations and mass gatherings in observance of health and safety protocols.
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