This Week in Metro Manila (August 15 to 21, 2020)

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso signed Ordinance No. 8658 which regulates the curfew hours in Manila depending on the quarantine level. Signed last August 5, the ordinance states that longer curfew hours (8:00 PM to 5:00 AM) will be implemented in Manila during MECQ and ECQ. For GCQ, the curfew will shift from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.

When it comes to apprehending violators, officials will immediately alert the offender’s relatives. The violator will be released but will need to report to the chief for the penalty. If the violator is not from the area, he or she will be held in a holding facility for not more than 24 hours. In case the relatives or immediate family are not available, the person will be turned over to the Manila Department of Social Welfare. Homeless persons will also be turned over to MDSW [1].

Starting August 15, face shields are now required for employees in the workplace. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the Inter-Agency Task Force agreed on the decision. The IATF also added that employers are expected to provide the face shields for their workers. The new guideline for the implementation of face shields will be implemented for workplaces in all industries along with other safety protocols. Prior to this, face shields were made mandatory inside all forms of public transportation. The Department of Health set the suggested retail price for face shields products to range from PhP26 to PhP50 per piece.

The LRT-1 Roosevelt Station will undergo a temporary closure from September to December due to the construction of the unified grand central station. According to the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the closure will be from September 5 to December 28, 2020. LRMC also advises commuters to monitor announcements regarding closures during the said period [2]. A bus augmentation program may be placed for commuters near Roosevelt Station.

Robinsons Malls announced the operating hours of their malls in MECQ areas. Majority of the malls open at 10:00 AM except Tagaytay, which opens at 9:00 AM. The Angeles branch has the latest closing time at 8:00 PM [3].

Meanwhile, the majority of supermarkets open at 8:00 AM with the exception of Sta. Rosa and Los Baños, which both open at 7:00 AM, and Manila, which opens at 9:00 AM. Branches that open at 10:00 AM include Malolos, Nova, Ilocos, and Luisita. Most branches close between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM; Manila has the latest closing time at 9:00 PM.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) released a new list of suggested retail prices (SRP) for basic fishery and agricultural commodities in Metro Manila. Signed last August 3, DA Administrative Order No. 10 covers the prices of chicken, eggs, pork, onions, garlic, bangus (milk fish), tilapia, galunggong (blue mackerel scad), sugar, and cooking oil sold in Metro Manila private and public wet markets. The prices for basic goods under new SRP are the following:

• Local rice/kg (Special) - PhP53

• Local rice/kg (Premium) - PhP45

• Local rice/kg (Well-milled) - PhP40

• Imported rice/kg (Special) - PhP52

• Imported rice/kg (Premium) - PhP43

• Imported rice/kg (Well-milled) - PhP38

• Pork/kg (pigue and kasim) - PhP230

• Pork/kg (liempo) - PhP250

• Whole chicken/kg - PhP130

• Chicken egg - PhP6.50

• Bangus/kg (medium to large) - PhP169

• Galunggong local/kg - PhP140

• Galunggong imported/kg - PhP180

• Tilapia/kg (medium) - PhP120

• Refined sugar/kg - PhP50

• Brown sugar/kg - PhP45

• Red onions/kg - PhP100

• Imported garlic/kg - PhP100

• Cooking oil (palm, 350ml) - PhP25

• Cooking oil (palm, 1L) - PhP50

The new SRP list serves as a guide for market retailers and is also established to protect consumers in Metro Manila.

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto announced that the city’s own molecular diagnostic laboratory is on its way to being fully operational. According to Sotto, the laboratory is currently on partial operations and under the Pasig City Children’s Hospital. It is capable of handling polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or swab testing and enhanced chemiluminescence immunoassay (eclia) which uses collected blood samples to detect antibodies. Sotto added that the laboratory can be used for other diseases like dengue and HIV [4]. Other than Pasig, cities that have set their own laboratories include Manila and Marikina.

Manila’s 13th isolation facility that caters to asymptomatic COVID-19 patients is now open. Located at Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU), the facility features 60 beds and occupies two floors. The isolation beds in Manila reached 600 after the addition of the facility [5].

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Metro Manila.