The Department of Health (DOH) has expressed alarm over the circulation of a text blast allegedly emanating from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) encouraging the public to just open their windows and switch on electric fans if they want to gather and celebrate holiday events.
The circulating text message read: “May Christmas party? Buksan ang bintana at electric fan. Mas ligtas kung outdoor ang venue. Maligayang Pasko? Kaya natin ‘to! [Are you holding a Christmas party? Open the window and electric fan. It is much safer if you choose an outdoor venue. Happy Christmas? We can do it!]”.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the DOH will investigate the source of the text message, noting that the same text also mentioned DOH, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19.
“DOH has not officially released this message yet because we wanted to further study it because it might cause confusion to our public,” she said in an online media forum.
Vergeire stressed that Christmas parties could turn up to be “super spreader events.”
“We always want to emphasize that we are recommending alternative activities,” she said.
The DOH has issued Department Circular No. 2020-0355, or the Reiteration of the “Minimum Public Health Standards for Covid-19 Mitigation,” to provide guidance on how to observe minimum public health standards during the holidays and ensure the health and safety of everyone participating in celebrations and activities.
The DOH noted that the holidays in the Philippines usually mean reuniting with friends and relatives, hosting and attending large in-person gatherings, and even traveling.
But this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, these usual activities “are not advisable” as these place the public at much higher risk of contracting the virus.
In preparation for the holiday season, the DOH has provided risk-mitigation measures to the public to adhere during the holiday season such as:
1. Limiting the number of people in social gatherings and activities;
2. Avoiding activities that may include traveling;
3. Opting to activities with only a short duration of contact;
4. Practicing BIDA (B-bawal walang mask, I-i-sanitize ang mga kamay, D-dumistansya ng isang metro, A-alamin ang totoong impormasyon).
5. Avoiding contact on high-touch surfaces;
6. Ensuring proper ventilation in venues; and
7. Increasing physical and mental resilience.
On Friday, the Covid-19 cases in the country surged to 425, 91
A total of 1,631 additional cases were recorded with 370 recoveries and 46 deaths.
Of the total number of cases, 7.1 percent (30,047) are active cases, 91.0 percent (387,616) have recovered, and 1.94 percent (8,255) perished.