NCR mayors defer to IATF on mobility restrictions for kids

Metro Manila mayors have agreed to let the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) decide on the mobility restrictions on minors aged below 12 years old from going to malls.

Based on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Resolution No. 21-29, the 17 mayors have agreed to endorse the mobility restrictions, saying that the government’s task force is in “the best position to decide on the matter.”

“The IATF has the necessary scientific and empirical data as well as the health, epidemiological, and pediatric experts,” the resolution stated.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier asked local government units to craft ordinances that would restrict minors aged below 12 years old from going to malls.

He made the remark after receiving a report on the two-year-old boy who tested positive in an antigen test after visiting a mall.

MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos said that the endorsement of the decision to the IATF is to further weigh in the medical experts’ opinion for the safety of the people.

“We have to defer to the wisdom of the IATF as well as the opinion of those in the medical field. We should seek balance on the physical and mental health of our minors,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) reported the big mall operators had a significant rise in patronage from 20% last year to around 60% to 80% recently, citing the increase in venue capacity and relaxation of age restrictions, particularly with respect to minors.

Abalos appealed to parents not to expose their kids to malls and crowded places, noting that those below 12 years old are still unvaccinated.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also advised that parents should avoid bringing their children in crowded places and in malls to prevent transmission of COVID-19 infections.

“Going to the malls, going to the crowded areas sana po i-avoid muna ‘yan ng ating mga magulang na dadalhin ang mga kabataan dyan dahil napakataas pa rin ang tsansa na magkasakit ang ating mga kabataan,” Vergeire said.

(Going to the malls, going to the crowded areas, I hope our parents will avoid taking our children there because the chances for them getting sick are still very high.) -NB, GMA News