Mayors, docs agree: Minors stay home

Minors remain banned from shopping malls this Christmas season, Metro Manila’s mayors decided late Wednesday after two groups of pediatricians recommended keeping children at home during the holidays to minimize their risk of contracting the new coronavirus and lower the danger of their transmitting the COVID-19 agent.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. told a news conference on Thursday that the mayors unanimously voted during their meeting on Wednesday night to adopt the recommendation of the Philippine Pediatric Society and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines not to allow children to go out as the possibility of them getting infected by adults had been established.

The Metro Manila Council, composed of the heads of the 17 local governments in the capital region, had consulted the two groups for guidance after the Department of the Interior and Local Government ordered the expansion of the age range of young people who may be allowed to go out to boost economic activity during the holiday season.

Keep them out of malls

The two groups of pediatricians had recommended to keep children 17 years old and younger out of shopping malls and other commercial centers.

“The risk of acquiring COVID-19 both by children and other household members far outweigh the benefits of bringing children to shopping malls to celebrate the holiday season,” the two groups said in a joint statement.

While COVID-19 cases among children is less common compared with adults here and across the globe, “children and adolescents are just as susceptible to and can transmit SARS-CoV-2,” they said, referring to the COVID-19 virus.

Garcia said only people 18 to 65 years old would be allowed to go out.

He said, however, that minors and people older than 65 would still be allowed to go to the malls for essential activities, such as medical and dental checkups and buying food and medicines.

Minors are also allowed to go out for noncontact sports, such as biking and jogging, “subject to interpretation by local governments,” he said.

Garcia stressed that the minimum health measures should still be observed in these activities.

Minors, he said, are also banned from the traditional “Simbang Gabi”—the novena of Masses celebrated at dawn from Dec. 16 to 24 in preparation for Christmas.

He urged mall operators and local governments to ensure that there would be no minors in shopping centers during the holiday season.

Penalties for violation of the rule depend on local ordinances, he said.

No large gatherings

Officials also discourage family reunions and large social gatherings during the holidays.

“With our current pandemic situation, any large gathering of people is considered [risky],” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Thursday.

It would be wiser, he said, for people to limit celebrations to immediate family members.

Duque suggested using online platforms for traditional Christmas activities like Simbang Gabi, buying gifts, and getting in touch with family and friends.

“Everyone should remain vigilant as the threat of the pandemic is still here,” he said.

On Thursday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,061 additional coronavirus infections, pushing the overall number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to 435,413.

Davao City and Quezon City recorded most of the new cases, each with 92, followed by Rizal province (50), Pampanga (44) and Quezon province (43).

The DOH said 328 more patients had recovered, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 399,325. But the death toll rose to 8,446 with the deaths of 10 more patients.

The deaths and recoveries left the country with 27,642 active cases, of which 85.2 percent were mild, 6.9 percent asymptomatic, 0.28 percent moderate, 2.6 percent severe, and 5 percent critical. —WITH A REPORT FROM DONA Z. PAZZIBUGAN