THE Manila Bay Coordinating Office yesterday said it will close the “dolomite” beach to the public every Friday to pave the way for regular maintenance and as part of efforts to limit the number of people and avoid the spread of COVID-19 infection.
Some 4,000 individuals trooped to the area 1.2-hectare artificial beach early yesterday, said Jacob Meimban Jr., MBCO deputy executive director.
The number climbed to around 6,000 later yesterday, according to the Manila Police District Station 5.
Meimban said the Friday closure is among adjustments authorities are making as thousands continue to troop to the area since the first week it was opened to the public as mobility restrictions in the National Capital Region was downgraded to Alert Level 3 effective October 16 because of a decrease in COVID cases. About 25,000 persons visited the area in the first weekend it was opened. Authorities said most visitors come at around 5 p.m. to watch the sunset and leave an hour later.
The artificial beach is open to the public from 8 to 11a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.
Meimban said they will also temporarily stop the public from waiting at the Pedro Gil entrance starting today. He said visitors can walk along the Baywalk Area while waiting for their turn to enter the beach, after an hour, to prevent overcrowding.
He said they have also coordinated with the Manila Police District to augment the number of policemen assigned in the area to implement health protocols.
Swimming remains prohibited as the bay’s chloroform levels have yet to reach safety levels.
Earlier, members of Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan (AGHAM) asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to conduct an impact assessment and screening on the dolomite project.
