DTI on Duterte order to keep kids at home: Better err on side of caution

While it has long been pushing for the easing of age-based restrictions to further boost consumer demand, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) gave in to President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to reverse the policy allowing children aged 10 to 14 to go out of their homes.

“We heard the decision of the President last night to revert back from 10 years old to 15 years old the minimum age restriction. So it's back to status quo APOR (authorized persons outside of residence) age of 15 to 65 years old,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a text message.

“Of course we follow the wisdom of our President. He asks us to study further the new variant because it might spread and the blame might be put on the easing of age restriction,” Lopez said.

Duterte, in his weekly public address on Monday, said he has revoked the Inter-Agency Task Force's earlier decision to allow minors aged 10 to 14 years old to leave their homes in areas under modified general community quarantine. 

The President said this was due to the UK variant of the COVID-19 virus that had been detected in several patients in the country.

The IATF’s move to lower the age of individuals allowed to go out has drawn criticisms from the OCTA Research Group and other health professionals, especially with the arrival of the UK variant of the coronavirus, which is more transmissible.

The Department of Health (DOH), meanwhile, said Duterte’s decision “will give us time for at least two cycles of genome sequencing with adequate representation from all regions to determine the extent of the transmission of the variant of concern." 

“So better to observe further the new variant and it might be safer to adjust once we are able to control the spread of the new variant,” Lopez said.

“Better to err on the side of caution,” he said.

To recall, the DTI has been calling to ease the age restriction to further boost market demand and help in reviving the COVID-19-battered economy. 

The Trade chief said the DTI will continue with current support programs under Bayanihan 2 such as support to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), job generation, improving further the compliance to health protocol as well as “COVID-proofing” of establishments for greater safety of customers to enhance consumer confidence.—LDF, GMA News