Roque: Relaxed age-based stay-at-home limits backed by science, hard data

MANILA, Philippines — The decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to ease the age range of those allowed to go out amid quarantine restrictions is “based on science and hard data,” Malacañang said Friday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque noted that “global experience has shown that the case fatality rate and severity of sickness between 15 and 20 years old vis-à-vis those who are 65 years old and above are much less as younger people have fewer health risks.”

“This is in addition to the fact that the age of 65 is the retirement age of most in the private sector,” he added.

IATF recently issued Resolution No. 79, already allowing those aged 15 to 65 to go out.

Since March, those under 21 and over 60 years old were required to stay at home unless for the provision of basic necessities and to go to work.

Health experts have previously warned that older adults with preexisting health conditions were more vulnerable to the coronavirus, particularly those aged over 60-years-old.

As of Thursday, there are 348,698 confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide, including 294,161 recoveries and 6,497 deaths.

KGA