Social distancing ignored during tree lighting event in Baguio City

Crowds flocked to the Christmas tree lighting event in Baguio City on Wednesday, disregarding the required COVID-19 protocol of physical distancing according to authorities.

In a "24 Oras" report of Chino Gaston on Thursday, law enforcers and the Baguio City government personnel themselves were no longer able to control the people who attended the event held on top of the city’s famous Session Road.

The ceremony also included the simultaneous lighting of lights by various establishments in the city’s business district.

In the drone video shown by the Baguio government, social distancing was still being practiced in front of the stage being performed at the start of the program. However, more and more people came as the time passed by.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong acknowledged the violation of physical distancing, but pointed out that other minimum public health standards were still observed such as the wearing of face mask.

“Medyo nagkakaroon na naman tayo ng problema sa social distancing pero maganda naman ito is that everybody was wearing their masks,” he said.

(We had problem with the social distancing but the good thing about this is that everybody was wearing mask.)

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it doesn't see the need to file a case against the Baguio City government as it was an outdoor event and the mask protocol was still followed.

“The cases of transmission are very low provided that people are using face masks. So, doon tayo medyo maghihigpit kung hindi naman nakasuot ng face mask ‘yung mga tao (That’s when we need to tighten our fists if people present were not wearing their face masks),” DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said.

Malaya, however, reminded that local government units (LGUs) still need to enforce the minimum public health standards amid the downward trend in the daily number of COVID-19 cases and now that Christmas activities are plenty.

“We still have cases ongoing and we have the Omicron variant, so mag-ingat lang po ‘no (take care),” he added.

Aside from Baguio City, Christmas  lights and decorations were set up in Cagayan; Laoag City, Ilocos Norte; Tagkawayan, Quezon; and Cebu City.—Giselle Ombay/LDF, GMA News