An official of the Department of Health has discouraged the conduct of Christmas caroling this year.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, citing a study, said loud singing can yield the most virus compared to talking or breathing.
“Eto pong pag kanta ng malakas siya yung may yield na pinakamataas na virus na pwedeng ilabas ng isang taong infected (An infected person can yield the largest amount of virus particles through the act of loud singing),” Vergeire told DZMM Teleradyo on Monday.
“With that being said, mas gusto po natin na wag na muna sana ang mga ganitong activities (we would want the public to avoid these kinds of activities) so we can prevent from further increasing the transmission of infection,” she added.
Vergeire said the decision on the possible ban on caroling will still be up to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
Interior and Local Government Eduardo Año had earlier said that he will propose to the IATF a nationwide ban on caroling this Yuletide season, citing a higher likelihood of COVID-19 spread.
“Singers have to remove their masks as they sing and viruses are released through aerosols,” Año said.
The DOH, meanwhile, has released its public health guidelines on holiday celebrations which suggest limiting of the number of people in gatherings.
Currently, the trend of COVID-19 cases in the country remains to be downward, according to Vergeire, averaging at 2,000 daily cases nationwide, and 400-500 daily cases in the National Capital Region.