Breaking: Minors in Metro Manila banned from going out anew starting Mar. 17

LOCAL LOCKDOWN Village guards in Barangay Baclaran, Parañaque City, install an accordion-type barrier in March 2021, on a street that leads to a bridge which connects their city to Pasay City, where the more transmissible South African variant of the Covid-19 virus has been detected. The variant has also been detected in Parañaque, forcing the local lockdown. INQUIRER file photo / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — Minors residing in Metro Manila are once again not allowed to go out of their homes for two weeks starting Wednesday, March 17, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the MMDA said all 17 mayors within Metro Manila agreed to prohibit minors or those aged 18 and below to go outdoors due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

“We are implementing age restrictions because of the increase in our Covid-19 cases,” MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos Jr. said.

“We encourage everyone to strictly observe and practice the minimum health protocols, and be extra careful and follow stringent measures particularly when around vulnerable family members, as there have been reports of transmission among family members,” he added.

The Metro Manila Council is already drafting a resolution to implement the age restriction, the MMDA said.

It was only last month when Metro Manila mayors said they were keen on allowing teens aged 15 to 17 to go out after the government allowed more establishments to reopen.

The Philippines has recently seen a spike in the number of new Covid-19 cases.

On Monday alone, health officials recorded a record-high for 2021 of 5,404 new coronavirus cases.

Despite some hospitals hitting their full capacity for treating critically ill Covid-19 patients, Malacañang said the government is not considering a return to the strictest form of community quarantine.

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