By Minka Klaudia Tiangco Spitting in public places will soon be prohibited in Manila amid the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso
(Manila City Public Information Office / MANILA BULLETIN) Under Ordinance No. 8621, the “Anti-Spitting Ordinance of 2020,” any person is prohibited from “spitting or expelling saliva, phlegm, mucus, or other substances from the mouth and/or nose in public places.” Violators will pay a fine of P1,000 for the first offense; and P3,000 for the second offense. On the third offense, violators will pay a P5,000 penalty, attend a health seminar by the Manila Health Department, or face subsidiary imprisonment for no longer than one month. The ordinance, signed by Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Monday, will take effect on Friday. Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome- Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, can spread through small droplets expelled from the mouth or nose of a person when they cough or sneeze. “Considering the gravity of the situation, there is an urgent need to institute a concrete preventive measure to stop the spread of the disease that has become a global health emergency and pandemic. These measures will not only prevent the spread of the deadly COVID-19 but also other contagious and airborne diseases,” the ordinance read. “This would also help spread environmental and health consciousness among the citizens apart from changing societal habits and unhygienic lifestyles,” it added. On Monday, President Duterte ordered enhanced community quarantine in the entire Luzon from March 17 to April 12, after placing the country under a State of Public Health Emergency, in light of the rising COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, the Department of Health reported 45 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the Philippine total to 187, with 12 mortalities.