Hold Christmas parties in open spaces – expert

CHRISTMAS parties must still be held in open spaces, avoid buffetstyle food service and observe social distancing to prevent the spread of Covid-19, a medical expert said on Wednesday.

Dr. Benito Atienza, vice president of the Philippine Federation of Professional Associations, issued these reminders amid the frenzy of celebrations alongside the emergence of the BQ.1 subvariant of the Omicron variant of the virus.

“I hope the protocols are still being enforced. They should enforce masking, and tables should be properly distanced,” Atienza said during a briefing.

He also urged parents not to bring their children below 4 years old outside of their homes and in crowded areas, such as malls, to prevent them from getting sick with the virus.

Atienza stressed that the restriction in the age group was due to the continued unavailability of the Covid-19 vaccine among those below 5 years old.

“We should be wary of bringing kids in heavily populated areas such as malls, as they are not yet vaccinated. We are seeing many kids who get Covid but were only detected during hospital testing” he added.

Atienza stressed the importance of the Apat Dapat (Four is Enough) health measures to prevent a possible surge.

“We are not just preventing Covid, but also influenza and pneumonia,” Atienza added.

He also urged the public to get their booster shots to give them additional protection against Covid-19.

The Department of Health had forecast a possible increase of at most 2,300 cases per day by the end of December if health protocols are not followed.