7-hour Metro Manila curfew starts March 15

BY ELLSON QUISMORIO

All 17 local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila will impose starting Monday, March 15, a uniform seven-hour curfew, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos announced Thursday night.

In a virtual press conference, Abalos said the curfew will last for two weeks, which is the accepted incubation period of the 2019 coronavirus.

The imposition of the uniform curfew hours within the National Capital Region (NCR) was agreed upon during the Metro Manila Council (MMC) meeting held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday.

The Metro Manila mayors called for the meeting following the alarming rise of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country, particularly in the metropolis.

The MMC is the policy-making body of the MMDA.

“Siguro naging lax na rin po ang ating mga kababayan, COVID fatigue, hindi na nagma-mask. Nagaland pa nitong UK variant,” he said.

He acknowledged that March 15 was the first year anniversary of the tight lockdown imposed by the national government when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.

He said the date of the uniform curfew was just a coincidence.

“Kung bumaba naman tatanggalin agad,” the MMDA chief said.

Abalos said the uniform curfew will be imposed along with granular or isolated lockdowns at high-infection areas, as well as ramped up testing.

Abalos said essential workers won’t have to show curfew enforcers special IDs or passes to avoid apprehension.

“As long as they show their IDs that they are workers in essential industries, wala hong problema. It’s part of the classification of GCQ (general community quarantine),” he explained.