(PNA photo by Robert Alfiler)
MANILA – Commercial establishments and the public are now allowed to operate and go out at any time in Metro Manila after the Metro Manila Council (MMC) lifted the standardized and unified curfew in the National Capital Region (NCR).
In a resolution released on Wednesday, the MMC -- composed of the 17 NCR mayors and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) -- said the curfew will be lifted beginning November 4.
In a news release, MMDA Chair Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. said the lifting of curfew would also reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission by spreading out the influx of mall goers, especially during the holidays.
The new policy is subjected to existing ordinances of local government units on the curfew hours of minors and the “continued observance and enforcement of Covid-19 protocols and minimum public health standards.”
It noted that the reason for the removal of the curfew was the extended operating hours of malls in Metro Manila to 11 p.m. instead of the usual 10 p.m. to alleviate the traffic situation in NCR.
“To complement the said adjustment in the mall hours and thus provide the mall goers and mall employees ample time to get home, the prevailing curfew hours of 12 midnight to 4 a.m. in Metro Manila should be lifted,” the resolution read.
Earlier, Metro Manila was placed under a standardized and unified curfew as part of the restrictions placed by the government to arrest the spread of Covid-19.
To date, Metro Manila is at Alert Level 3, easing mobility restrictions as new cases continue to drop in the region and other parts of the country. (PNA)
