In preparation for the traditional “Simbang Gabi” or the dawn masses, San Juan City will implement new curfew hours from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. starting Tuesday.
“Beginning December 1, 2020, our curfew in San Juan is further reduced to 12 a.m. to 3 a.m.,” Mayor Francis Zamora said Tuesday.
Among those exempted from the city-wide curfew are healthcare workers as well as on-duty frontline personnel, including employees of the government and private establishments.
Also exempted are drivers of public utility vehicles allowed to operate under the current community quarantine status, delivery services of prime commodities, and those with emergency reasons.
In its meeting last Sunday, the Metro Manila Council (MMC) and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) had decided to shorten the curfew hours in the metropolis this holiday season.
“The MMC and IATF agreed to change the curfew hours in Metro Manila from the current 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. to 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. beginning December 1,” Zamora said.
“This is to give our constituents ample time to prepare for the Christmas season and attend the traditional Simbang Gabi provided that they strictly follow the guidelines set by the IATF,” he added.
The metro mayors, according to Zamora, also agreed to ban caroling in the National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent the possible spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) this Christmas season.
“Caroling is still banned in Metro Manila because as we know, singing spreads a lot of aerosol particles in the air which then spreads the virus. As much as possible, we would like to avoid any activities which could cause and hasten the spread of the virus,” he said.
On Monday night, President Duterte retained the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) status of Metro Manila until the end of the year.