A provincial governor in the Philippines has drawn a connection between the country's favourite pastime with the Covid-19 virus, claiming that nighttime karaoke singers are somehow hurting the nation's fight against the pandemic.

Provincial governor says noisy karaoke singers impede country's fight against Covid-19

Jonvic Remulla, the governor of Cavite province, encouraged residents in a Facebook post on Sep. 14 to report noisy karaoke singers to local authorities, suggesting that the noise created by them at night resulted in loss of sleep for others, therefore hurting their neighbours' immune systems and hampering the country's fight against Covid-19.

Commonly known as one of the country's favourite hobbies, karaoke (or videoke) and frequenting KTV bars has long been an affordable luxury for many Filipinos, and an escape from reality for many who live in impoverished neighbourhoods, according to Reuters.

Quoting the lyrics of "My Way" by Frank Sinatra and "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles, Remulla highlighted the importance of getting a good night's rest to build their immune system and protect themselves against the disease.

The province has imposed a curfew that prohibits residents from leaving their homes to roam outside between 8pm to 5am, to limit the spread of Covid-19.

He wrote in his post that the curfew was "not just made to reduce nonsense night strolls", but for people to strengthen their body with sufficient sleep.

"Even if you say that you are inside your home, the noise caused by (karaoke) can be considered unlawful for the curfew hours,” he said.

Tells constituents to contact police to report noisy nighttime karaoke singers

Remulla mentioned that he received frequent complaints from constituents in the past months about noisy karaoke singers with "nothing to do from night till dawn".

He advised the public not to hesitate to contact the Philippines National Police hotline to air their grievances against the "noisy ones singing, especially the drunk and out of tune".

Remulla advised the disruptive nighttime singers to respect their neighbours even if they don't want to sleep early, especially those "who have to wake up at 4am", citing himself as one of the early wakers.

As of Sep. 17, 2020, the Philippines has recorded more than 276,000 cases of Covid-19 in the country, making it the highest in Southeast Asia.

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Top image via Getty for illustrative purposes