As more business establishments open in Metro Manila starting November 5, Malacañang asked those who miss going to karaoke bars to keep their face masks on when belting their hearts out to prevent this leisure activity from being a superspreader event.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after the government's pandemic task force decided to de-escalate Metro Manila to Alert Level 2 from November 5 to 21, 2021.
Based on Alert Level 2 guidelines, businesses, including karaoke bars, are allowed to operate at 50-percent indoor capacity for fully vaccinated individuals and those below the age of 18 even if they are unvaccinated. They are likewise allowed to operate at 70-percent venue capacity.
In his press briefing on Friday, November 5, Roque reiterated that only those who are fully vaccinated will be allowed in karaoke bars.
He likewise reminded karaoke bar patrons to follow minimum public health protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
"So kinakailangan po ingat pa rin. Miski kayo ay nasa karaoke, pwede naman sigurong naka-facemask kumanta (So we still need to be cautious. Even if we're in a karaoke bar, I think we can sing even with a facemask on)," he said.
"Hindi naman po requirement siguro 'yan kung meron espasyo between doon sa kakanta at doon sa ibang kasama. Pero mas mabuti po talaga mag-facemask habang kumakanta (I don't think this will be a requirement especially if there is a distance between the singer and his peers. But it's better to sing with your mask on)," he added.
According to Roque, the government decided to allow karaoke bars to operate after more than a year to help business owners and to further revive the economy.
He added that the decreasing number of COVID-19 cases was another factor that affected the government's decision to ease restrictions. However, this can change with one misstep.
"Mababa nga po ang mga kaso ng COVID pero any time nga po pwedeng umakyat 'yan knowing na meron pa nga ngayong mas matinding makahawang mga variant (The number of COVID-19 cases is low now but this can change anytime because we still have more contagious variants with us)," Roque said.
"Bagama't nais nating mabuhay uli ang mga industriya gaya ng karaoke, ayaw naman nating maging superspreader events 'yan (Even though we want to revive many industries like karaoke bars, we don't want them to become superspreader events)," he added.