Malacañang on Monday appealed to the public to keep children safe from crowded places amid shift to less restrictive Alert Level 2 status in the National Capital Region (NCR) and six other provinces.
“Again, we’ve been through this before noong (in) December. Please make sure na iyong bata ay naka-mask. Huwag palabasin kung iyong mga bata ay nasa napaka-mababang edad, nasa infancy or infant or very young age na hindi naman appropriate na mag-mask (Please make sure that children should be wearing masks. Don’t allow children, particularly those very young or infants who are not appropriate to wear masks),” acting Presidential spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, said in virtual Palace press briefing.
Nograles also reminded the parents of the importance of wearing face masks as the country continues to grapple with the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic and the emergence of new variants.
“At kung hindi naman angkop ang mask para doon sa bata dahil masyadong very, very young age, huwag nating pilitin. Ibig pong sabihin iyan, huwag na lang ilabas ang bata, ‘di ba (And if a mask isn’t suitable for the child because of being too young—very young age, let’s not force it. That means, just don’t let the child to go out),” he said.
Starting February 1, the NCR along with the provinces of Batanes, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal in Luzon; Biliran and Southern Leyte in the Visayas; and Basilan in Mindanao, will be placed under less stringent Alert Level 2 classification.
Under Alert Level 2, establishments are allowed to operate at a maximum of 50 percent indoor venue capacity and 70 percent outdoor capacity for fully vaccinated individuals, including meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions; venues for social events, tourist attractions, amusement parks, recreational venues, cinemas, and movie houses; in-person religious gatherings, dine-in services, limited face-to-face or in-person classes, fitness studios/gyms and venues for individual non-contact exercise and sports, contact sports approved by local government units, funfairs, and karaoke bars and concert halls and theaters.
The government is set to roll out the vaccination of minors aged 5 to 11 years old on February 4. (PNA)
