Cabinet allowed more people to go out of their homes, shorter curfew hours —Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet has allowed more people to go out of their homes as part of measures to revive the economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Malacañang said Tuesday,

Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque said the Cabinet on Monday approved the recommendation of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to expand the age group allowed to go out (for example: 15 to 65 years old). 

“I think we will give some leeway to the IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases] to actually fix kung anong edad ‘yan,” Roque said in a televised briefing.

“I think mabababa 'yung edad ng kabataan at matataas 'yung edad ng mga seniors. I think I’m almost sure that 65 will be the age for seniors, hindi lang ako sigurado at what age for the young people,” he added.

Previously, persons below 21 years old, above 60 years old, pregnant women and those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity or other health risks were required to stay at home, except for accessing essential goods and services and reporting for work in permitted industries. 

The Cabinet also backed shorter curfew hours and multiple work shifts to allow more workers and buyers to contribute to the economy and further gradual expansion of business capacity to 75 to 100%.

Early this month, the DTI released a circular on increasing the operational capacity of certain business establishments to as much as 100% under the general community quarantine (GCQ). 

The businesses include mining and quarrying (domestic), legal and accounting, management consultancy activities, scientific and research development, advertising and market research, and film, music, and TV production, among others. 

The Philippine economy shrank by a record 16.5% in the April to June period when lockdowns meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 shut down around 75% of the economy, according to the government. 

The last time the Philippines suffered two consecutive quarters of economic contraction was in 1991. —KG/KBK, GMA News