Shoppers pack Divisoria, Baclaran ahead of Christmas rush

With only a week to go before December sets in, shoppers packed the streets of Divisoria in Manila and Baclaran in Parañaque to beat the Christmas rush, with physical distancing precautions completely ignored.

According to a “24 Oras Weekend” report by Mav Gonzales, security guards in Divisoria repeatedly reminded shoppers to practice physical distancing but to no avail.

The streets were nearly impassable as shoppers flocked stalls selling goods at low prices.

“Naka-face mask, face shield, and alcohol naman po,” one shopper said.

“Sari-sariling pag-iwas o pag-ingat lang din,” another added.

Despite the influx of customers, however, sales were still relatively weaker compared to last year, according to vendors.

The Department of Health reminded the public to observe the minimum health standards against COVID-19 and said it was up to local authorities to ensure shoppers’ compliance.

“‘Wag nating pabayaan na masira ang ating pasko… dahil sa pagbabalewala with respect to our minimum health standards,” Dr. Anna Ong-Lim said. — Julia Mari Ornedo/DVM, GMA News