Organizers of events that will draw a crowd in Quezon City must inform the local government about their activities five days prior to their scheduled dates to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

This came after Mayor Joy Belmonte issued the latest guidelines for the city as it transitioned into General Community Quarantine (GCQ) although it still has 2,932 active COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday.

"We need to impose stricter measures to ensure that there won't be a repeat of such incidents. Nasasayang lang ang ating mga pinaghirapan kung may mangyayaring mga pagtitipon na mauuwi sa pagtaas ng impeksiyon (We will be losing all our hard works if events that will cause more COVID-19 infections will continue),” Belmonte said in a statement Wednesday as recent celebrations held by residents led to infection of at least 69 individuals.

Under her order, organizers of gatherings for community service or humanitarian purposes must coordinate with the city's Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS) at least five days prior to the activity and provide details of their crowd control plan.

These gatherings include, but not limited to, medical missions, kasalang bayan, and distribution of food and cash assistance.

“Event organizers have the responsibility to provide appropriate crowd control measures to avoid excessive numbers of attendees and ensure proper physical distancing, such as through the use of marshals, stubs, coupons, and similar strategies,” Belmonte said in her order.

In case of violations of health protocols, the DPOS shall bring the matter to the Law and Order Cluster, including the Philippine National Police, for appropriate investigation and sanctions.

The directive also stated that gatherings of more than 10 persons shall be prohibited, except when they are for work or for government or humanitarian purposes.

Meanwhile, Belmonte maintained that religious gatherings are exempted as they may occupy up to 50 percent of venue capacity.