The local government here appealed to parents to refrain from bringing their minor children to malls or commercial centers even if the Covid-19 quarantine has been lowered to Alert Level 2.

Lawyer Jose Edgardo Uy, head of Cagayan de Oro’s (CDO) Regulatory Compliance Board and the Economic Cluster, said local governments are also given the discretion to impose restrictions on the movement of persons based on age and comorbidities.

“This was already discussed in the City’s Emergency Operation Center and the guidelines are being polished. Therefore, until an official advisory will have been issued. please avoid tagging along with minors inside those places,” he posted on Facebook on Sunday.

Uy said the local government is aware that the public’s desire to go malling with their children “has been rekindled” but he implored the public not to forget that the virus that causes Covid-19 is still around.

“That CDO is under Alert Level 2 does not mean that the virus has also ceased to lurk around us and cause health and medical problems, or even worse, death. An exception is when minors by themselves could already avail of essentials, e.g., eat or seek medical help in clinics inside malls, but they must be accompanied by their parents and have to leave the mall immediately thereafter,” he said.

Since the lowered Alert Level was handed down, Mayor Oscar Moreno shortened the curfew hours, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Moreno said the calibrated relaxation of quarantine rules is geared toward allowing more people to work and more businesses to open and operate in order to earn income.

“But if our activities don’t involve essential activities like working and earning income, let’s not go outside. Atong ibangon ang ekonomiya dili nato ibangon ang (Let’s revive the economy, not the) virus,” he said.

CDO still has 524 active Covid-19 cases as of Nov. 4 while 18,888 have recovered out of the total 20.251 infected. (PNA)