Palace warns parents vs. taking kids into crowded, closed places

Malacañang on Friday warned parents and guardians against bringing children to crowded places amid the continued threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Alexei Nograles said children are especially off-limits from confined spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places with no physical distancing, and close-contact settings or what the government calls 3Cs.

"For minors, those who are very young and infants who cannot wear a face mask yet, it should be automatic. It is the responsibility of parents and guardians not to bring children in these areas," Nograles said.

While government's COVID-19 vaccination program started in March, immunization of children ages 12 to 17 against the lung disease start only this November.

There is no available COVID-19 vaccine yet for children ages 11 and below.

Likewise, Nograles said that public and private establishments, as well as local government units (LGUs) should ensure that individuals entering their area are strictly observing minimum public health standards, including the proper wearing of face masks.

"Sa madaling salita, kung hindi po sumusunod ang isang individual sa patakaran ukol sa paggamit ng face mask, puwede pong hindi papasukin sa establisimyento" (Individuals who violate minimum public health standards and not wearing mask should be denied entry), Nograles added.

Earlier, Nograles said that establishments are allowed to require tenants and customers to wear a face shield on top of face mask for additional safety precaution amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is like a construction site when you are required to wear a hard hat for safety," Nograles pointed out.

The Philippines has at least 17,000 active COVID-19 cases and around 34 million of the nearly 110 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  —LBG, GMA News