Did you receive a text message about how Christmas parties should be done during the pandemic?

The Department of Health (DOH) said it was investigating who and how the message was sent. They said the messaging was currently being studied to avoid public confusion.

In a virtual press briefing on Friday, November 27, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the message was not sent out and approved by the concerned office in DOH.

“We just wonder why lumabas na po agad dahil pag uusapan pa ho sana ang mga messages na ito para hindi nakakalito sa ating mga kababayan (it was sent out immediately because we were still discussing the message so it would not confuse the public),” Vergeire said.

“I’ve said the DOH has not officially released this message yet because we wanted to further study it because it might cause confusion to public,” she added.

On Friday morning, Filipinos received a text message from the National Telecommunications and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), stating how Christmas parties should be done during the pandemic.

The text message read: “This is public advisory brought to you by the National Telecommunications and Department of Information and Communications Technology. May Christmas party? Buksan ang bintana at electric fan. Mas ligtas kung outdoor ang venue. Maligayang Pasko? Kaya natin ‘to! Paalala mula sa DICT, DOH, at HPAAC. (Having a Christmas party? Open your windows and electric fan. It’s safer if it’s outdoor. Merry Christmas? We can do it! This is a reminder from the DOH, DICT, and HPAAC [Healthcare Professionals Alliance for COVID-19]).

Filipinos online hit the agencies named in the text message for supposedly encouraging gathering during holiday season as the country deals with the pandemic.

Wow Globe cares enough to send an SMS from NTC > May Christmas party? Buksan ang bintana at electric fan. Mas ligtas pa kung outdoor ang venue. Maligayang Pasko? Kaya natin 'to! Paalala mula sa DICT, DOH at HPAAC. pic.twitter.com/TQKD138O1X

— Noemi L. Dado (@momblogger) November 27, 2020

https://twitter.com/alexjamisola/status/1332105258776948736

Meanhile, Vergeire emphasized that DOH was recommending alternative activities during this holiday season to prevent further transmission such as doing shopping online.

“We all know that Christmas parties might be a cause for superspreader event and we don’t allow that to happen,” she said.

In its latest report published on Wednesday, November 25, the Octa Research Group said that they saw an “uptick” in cases in virus epicenter Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Central Luzon, and Western Visayas in the last week of this month.

Over the weekend, a crowd of people flocked to Divisoria in Manila. No physical distancing was observed, while some were not wearing their face masks properly.

On November 5, the experts also warned about possible “surge” in COVID-19 cases during the holiday season.

As of Friday, the Philippines has 425,918 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 8,255 deaths and 387,616 recoveries. Of the total, 30,047 are active cases. – Rappler.com