MANILA – If senator Manny Pacquiao’s proposed social distancing measure gets the nod of his fellow lawmakers, sporting events such as basketball and boxing will not have live audiences.
Entitled as the New Normal Law, Pacquiao’s bill aims to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) even after President Rodrigo Duterte lifts or relaxes the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.
“Nakakalungkot mang isipin, ngunit kailangan talaga nating magkaroon ng
panibagong patarakaran sa ating pakikisalamuha kung sakaling mawala na itong
ipinapatupad na enhanced community quarantine (ECQ),” Pacquiao said.
As a result of the declaration of the ECQ, several sporting events in the
country like the Philippine Basketball Association, the Maharlika Pilipinas
Basketball League and scheduled boxing matches were postponed, while the
University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the National Collegiate
Athletic Association and the Palarong Pambansa were forced to cancel their
events.
Pacquiao – eight-division world boxing champion and founder of MPBL – said that
while the vaccine against COVID-19 is still unavailable, the public should
strictly follow precautionary distancing measures to prevent the second wave of
COVID-19.
“In short, itong social distancing ang
magiging new normal sa panahon ng
COVID. And I think we cannot enforce this properly without the force of law,”
the senator added.
Apart from sports, Pacquiao said that concerts could also be done without the
presence of live audience and will just be broadcasted on television.
The senator also included in his bill that shopping time in supermarkets will be limited and customers may be required to bring a grocery list, while stricter social distancing and sanitary measures will be practiced in restaurants, eateries and other food businesses./PN
