BY CHITO CHAVEZ
As the holiday season nears, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año is encouraging the public to celebrate the annual religious festival “without much fanfare.”
This is because the agency is going to be “stricter in enforcing health standard protocols and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines” so people would not be infected by the deadly coronavirus disease.
Under the general community quarantine (GCQ), mass gatherings like parties remain prohibited.
So instead of fabulous celebrations, Año called on the public to forego parties and celebrate the holiday season with family members “without much fanfare but with deeper observance of the Christmas spirit.”
“Share your blessings with the less fortunate victims of calamities,” he said.
Año also appealed to let 2020 pass without drinking sprees, caroling and other similar merrymaking with COVID-19 still lurking dangerously.
Online group chatting with friends and relatives is much better, he said.
With the expected increase in the number of shoppers during the holiday season, Año assured that police officers will be dispatched in crowded places to ensure that quarantine protocols are strictly followed.
The DILG chief also will welcome reports from concerned citizens in areas where minimum health standards are violated.
As COVID-19 remains a major concern, Año urged the public never to get tired of reporting quarantine protocol violations by telephone, text messages or through social media. (Chito A. Chavez)
