Local government units in Metro Manila will implement shorter curfew hours starting Wednesday, Oct. 13, as the number of active COVID-19 cases in the region continues to go down.
From 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., Metro Manila will observe a unified curfew hours of 12 midnight to 4 a.m., based on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Resolution No. 21-23.
Data which showed significant decrease in the number of active COVID-19 cases, reproduction rate and isolation facility utilization rate became one of the main reasons of the resolution.
MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos said during a Cabinet meeting with President Duterte late Monday night that the active cases in Metro Manila went down by 50 percent in just a month. Current active cases in the region stands at 17,926, compared to September 16's 38,471 cases.
Meanwhile, Metro Manila's COVID-19 reproduction rate decreased from 1.25 in September 16 to 0.61 in October 8 and occupancy rate of isolation facilities also went down from 73 percent to 42 percent in just a month.
On the other hand, Abalos also announced that public and private cemeteries, memorial parks and columbaries will be closed to the public from October 29 to November 2 to avoid crowding of people observing the All Souls' Day amid the pandemic.
In a press conference Tuesday, Oct. 12, he said all Metro mayors have agreed to restrict people's access to these places, just like what they did last year.
"It's for us to avoid the spread of infection. So we've opted to implement again what we did last year," Abalos said.