The Department of Health (DOH) reminds the public to celebrate the holiday season safely by strictly following the minimum health protocols, especially during parties and other gatherings.

"Because we all worked hard to get to this point where the cases went down and the number of vaccinations has increased, we can celebrate but we encourage everyone to celebrate safely," Beverly Ho of DOH said during the virtual Palace briefing on Friday.

"We encourage that when we do these celebrations, we allow only fully vaccinated individuals into the venue. This is also for our protection but as much, for the protection of the guests. We also encourage vaccination not just of COVID-19 for anyone 12 years old and above but of course the routine vaccination for all children less than 13 years old.," she said.

"As for airflow, we encourage everyone to conduct their activities or their reunions or gatherings in outdoor areas and as much as possible we need to avoid indoor settings with poor ventilation," she added.

Ho also encourages the public to continue to wear the appropriate PPEs and only remove our masks when it’s time to eat.

"During games and celebrations, we should wear our masks," she said.

"We are reminding everyone that there’s actually an alert level system based on the number of people or capacity that we can only accommodate, especially in indoor areas versus outdoor areas. Because most of the areas in the country are in Alert Level 2, we should remember indoor should have 50 percent capacity while for outdoor we can have up to 70 percent capacity," she added.

Ho said those who feel unwell should not attend and make sure that games or activities that will involve close contact or those that involve loud singing, shouting or similar actions should be avoided

"We still prefer pre-packed or plated meals to prevent gathering while getting food. Finally, washing our hands and making sure there are handwashing stations and hand sanitizers in the area," she said.

As the celebration of New Year also nears Ho also encourages the public to avoid firecrackers and just join firework displays within the communities. Robina Asido/DMS