The unified curfew hours in Metro Manila are now set from 12:00 midnight until 4 a.m., as per Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Resolution No. 21-10.
More time to move around means more business
According to MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos, this decision was reached by the group of Metro Manila Council when they took into account the lowering attack rate of the dreaded COVID-19 virus. On top of that, the National Capital Region (NCR) is currently experiencing better hospital bed occupancy rates.
The new curfew now spans just four hours, which is shorter than the previous number of hours that were put in place back on May 1. Of note, NCR was under the more stringent modified enhanced community quarantine at that time. The aforementioned six-hour curfew was also active during the general community quarantine with heightened restrictions, which were put in place from May 15 to 31.
With the shorter curfew hours, people will now have ample time to better access small and large businesses that are in need of support and patronage. Abalos says that this will help boost our economy.
Furthermore, the shorter curfew hours might also serve to further help PUV drivers, who have been hit hard by the pandemic. For them, the shorter curfew hours mean more opportunity for work, and together with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) Php 860 million in incentives, hopefully they can find their footing again.
Shorter curfew hours means more opportunities to cater to passengers
The decision of implementing shorter curfew hours is of course connected to the new quarantine status. For those unaware, it was announced that the quarantine status for Metro Manila and Bulacan starting June 16 to 30 is now GCQ “with some restrictions.” Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, however, will remain under GCQ “with heightened restrictions.”
Currently, the total number of cases for the Philippines now sits at 1.32 million with 22,788 deaths. On the other hand, the country now have 1.23 million recoveries.
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