An MCO 'side-effect': A breath of fresh air

TODAY is the 12th day of our movement control order (MCO) to contain the spread of Covid-19 here.

We will have to hang on a little longer until it ends on April 14.

But at the very least, we can breathe a sigh of relief for one thing, literally – our cleaner air right now.

Air quality is better now compared to before the MCO, according to data from the Air Pollutant Index (API) recorded by the Department of Environment (DOE).

"This could be due to the less traffic on roads and fewer activities during the MCO," says the DOE.

There are a total of 68 air monitoring stations throughout the nation under the department.

More of these stations recorded "good" air quality this week, compared to before March 18, when the MCO started.

“The general trend shows an improvement as of this week, compared to before the MCO was enforced.