Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the curfew hours in Metro Manila can be gradually eased but urged businessmen to allow workers to report in staggered shifts to avoid a "rush hour" that would violate physical distancing measures.
In a Facebook Live video Saturday, Nograles said that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has been in constant coordination with Metro Manila mayors about the curfew hours. Most cities in the region have a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. while some have earlier curfews.
While there is nothing wrong about imposing a curfew, Nograles said that it would be more preferable it would be shorter and not as early as 8 p.m.
"Tama naman ang sinasabi ng Metro Manila mayors na itong curfew naman ay para sa proteksyon ng lahat (Metro Manila mayors are right when they say that the curfew is there to ensure the protection of the people)," he said.
"Pero siguro, ang pinapakiusap din ng business community, at okay naman ang mga Metro Manila mayors dito, kung gustong i-maintain ang curfew hours, siguro hindi ganoon kaaga (But I think, and this is the appeal of the business community and the mayors are also okay with it, if we want to maintain a curfew, I think it shouldn't be that early)," he added.
According to Nograles, the strategy that the government is eyeing is to let employees report to their workplace on staggered shifts.
"'Wag naman lahat alas-otso ang pasok, 'wag naman lahat ala-singko rin ang labas. Kasi kung within that window pare-pareho ang lahat, magra-rush hour (Not everybody should come in at 8 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m. If everyone will follow that, we will have a rush hour)," he said.
"Kung magra-rush hour tayo, 'di magkakaroon tayo ng walang social distancing. Kasi magkukumpol-kumpol lahat, dadagsa lahat (If there's a rush hour, then we won't have physical distancing because everyone will be crowding to catch a ride)," he added.
Nograles said a shorter and later curfew would allow workers to travel at ease. He said malls and other establishments that provide essential goods and services should also extend their operating hours to complement the staggered shifts.
"’Yung mga malls, mga stores, mga groceries, dapat hayaan din natin na magbukas din sila nang mas mahaba para makapagbili rin ng mga kagamitan, grocery, o kung ano yung ating mga workforce (Malls, stores, and groceries should be allowed to operate for a longer period so our workers can get what they need)," he said.
Metro Manila has reported 651 new cases of COVID-19 on Oct. 10, bringing the total to 173,160. Of these, 21,703 are active, 148,450 recovered, while 3,007 died.
Based on the COVID-19 tracker of the Department of Health (DoH), Quezon City still has the most number of infections with 31,073 cases.
Other cities in Metro Manila with the highest number of COVID-19 cases:
· Manila: 20,961
· Caloocan City: 11,621
· Taguig City: 11,098
· Makati City: 10,859
Malacañang said last week that Metro Manila downgrading to the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) – the least strict quarantine classification – by November is not impossible due to the low number of daily cases.