This Week in Metro Manila (March 13 to 19, 2021)

It’s been a year since the country went into lockdown!

By: Denisse Shawntel Tan | March 13, 2021

Share this article

facebook

twitter

The anniversary of the lockdown in Metro Manila and the entire Philippines will be on March 15. As the pandemic goes on, the country currently has over half a million reported cases of COVID-19 just as its vaccine rollout started.

Meanwhile, because of the spike in cases in the nation’s capital, Metro Manila mayors are planning to reinforce safety measures. For one, they agreed to close cinemas and arcades again to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In Quezon City, contact tracing was also improved as registering in the Kyusi Pass is now required in business establishments. And despite the spike in COVID-19 cases, the Caloocan City government does not plan to implement a city-wide lockdown.

Lockdown News

Metro Manila mayors close arcades and cinemas again

Metro Manila mayors agreed to suspend the operations of cinemas and arcades due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) according to Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos.

Bacolod, Bacolod travel protocol, Quarantine, COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19, Quarantine Update, Travel News, Health News

The resolution was decided by Metro Manila mayors as a precautionary measure. Last March 5, the Department of Trade and Industry allowed entertainment activities and creative and art establishments to operate in areas under General Community Quarantine. The resolution is yet to be finalized [1].

Caloocan won’t have lockdowns amid rise in COVID-19 cases

The Caloocan City local government said on March 8 that they won’t be implementing a lockdown in the city despite the increase in COVID-19 cases in the area. However, the Caloocan City LGU will be reimplementing a curfew and the use of quarantine passes [2]. In an upcoming executive order, residents will have to use a color-coded quarantine pass and follow a 10:00 PM to 4:00 AM curfew. As of March 7, there are 14,894 cases in Caloocan City.

Travel Updates

National Museum of the Philippines reopens to the public

Last March 2, the Philippines’ national museums were reopened to the public. The National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Anthropology, and the National Museum of Natural History can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday (excluding religious holidays). Visits can be either in the morning from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM or the afternoon from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The cut-off for morning visits is at 11:00 AM; the cut-off for afternoon visits is at 3:00 PM [3].

Guests are required to follow strict health and safety protocols such as physical distancing and wearing of face masks and face shields. Guests also need to answer health declaration forms and have their temperature checked at the entrance.

The following official guidelines should also be followed:

• Only a hundred persons will be allowed per session.
• Reservations are required before a visit.
• Group visits are limited to a maximum of five people.
• Elevators can only be used by senior citizens and PWDs.
• Items like long umbrellas, food and drinks, backpacks, pencils, art materials, large bags, pets, photography and video equipment, and wrapped packages are not allowed inside the museum.

Shopping News: QC establishments require Kyusi Pass in entrances

In order to strengthen contact tracing in the city, the Quezon City government will require residents to use the Kyusi Pass when entering any business establishments, Mayor Joy Belmonte announced last March 7 [4].

Belmonte added that the improvement in contact tracing is part of the GCQ guidelines that have been issued by the national Inter-Agency Task Force. The IATF guidelines stated that business establishments must require visitors to either scan QR codes or contact tracing logs. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own pens for signing manual contract tracing materials.

Health News: Metro Manila reports surge in COVID-19 cases

Metro Manila recorded a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks. According to Octa, an independent research team, the increase was 50% higher compared to the records from February 19 to 25. They noted that the cause of the surge might be the more contagious variants of the virus.

The team also stated that both national and local governments should implement measures that can control the surge by implementing stricter border controls and localized lockdowns. As of March 6, various cities in Metro Manila such as Makati, Manila, Pasay City, and Quezon City experienced a noticeable increase in daily recorded cases of COVID-19.

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


All details and information in this article are true and accurate as of the publication date. While we are doing our utmost effort to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the condition surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be unpredictable and the situation develops rapidly, so it’s possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For the latest advice, visit DOH and your LGU's official websites.



Source:
[1] http://bit.ly/3bzoJXP
[2] http://bit.ly/3t9NTT6
[3] http://bit.ly/3cjOsTr
[4] http://bit.ly/2N4OLc6
[5] http://bit.ly/30KRcEd

About Denisse Shawntel Tan

Denisse Tan is currently a work in progress: she’s an aspiring writer, artist, and fashion designer! She’s trying to figure out how to manage her time in achieving all of her goals while also taking in life as humanly possible. Aside from art, she’s a big fan of the color pink, disco music, Bratz dolls, and Genshin Impact. By age 35, she plans to travel to New York City 🗽.

Learn more stories on:

Metro Manila lockdown COVID 19 Lockdown News Quarantine Travel Updates Shopping News Health News lockdowns

Location Tags:

Manila

Disclaimer: All articles in the Consumers Magazine of Yoorekka are for general information and entertainment purposes only. Although careful research has been made in writing them, Yoorekka does not make any warranty about the completeness and accuracy of all information presented in our articles. Our content is not intended to be used in place of legal, medical, or any professional advice.