Halloween, Christmas parties allowed within families —DOH

The Department of Health on Saturday reminded the public that Halloween and Christmas parties are permitted, as long as these gatherings are done within the "bubble" of their families.

"Mass gatherings are still prohibited, [but those taking place] within the bubble of the family are allowed, but safety protocols needed to be implemented," DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said at the Laging Handa briefing.

Vergeire said the public should avoid being in 3Cs  (closed, crowded, close-contact) places.

"I-recognize natin 'yan na 'yan po ang mga pinakamagbibigay ng impeksiyon sa pamilya (We should recognize that these will be the main cause of infection in families)," she said, adding that health protocols must be observed in outdoor gatherings.

"Kung merong may sintomas, huwag na muna tayong mag-attend ng mga ganitong party" (If a person has symptoms, he or she should not join parties), Vergeire said.

Likewise, the DOH reminded 2022 political aspirants to enforce safety protocols in their campaign events.

"Paalala naman po sa ating local governments, alam naman po natin at naiintindihan natin na nagkakampanya na tayo. Sana tayo na po ang magkaroon ng responsibilidad na magkaroon ng ganitong safety protocols during our campaign period," Vergeire said.

(We remind local governments of the health protocols, as we know and understand that some could be campaigning this time. We hope we should have the responsibility to implement safety protocols during the campaign period.)

Metro Manila was first placed under Alert Level 4 on September 16 to October 15, then to a more relaxed Alert Level 3 from October 16 to 31.

On Saturday, the COVID-19 reproduction number in the National Capital Region dropped to 0.45 from 0.57 last Monday, October 18, the OCTA Research group said.

Under Alert Level 3 quarantine restrictions, several establishments will be allowed to operate at 30% indoor venue capacity only for fully vaccinated individuals and 50% outdoor venue capacity, provided that all employees are fully vaccinated. —LBG, GMA News