MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism on Sunday welcomed the move to allow children to visit outdoor areas with adults, but said this should not be taken as a sign to be complacent against COVID-19.
Last week, the pandemic task force announced the policy for those in general community quarantine and modified GCQ areas. IATF also eased curbs on movement for senior citizens complete with their COVID-19 shots.
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Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat in a statement said while it would encourage local travel, "this must not be taken as a blanket authority for complacency and misrepresentations."
"We must continue to be vigilant and act responsibly as well," she added. "One such standard to be observed is ensuring that there is strict limit to the capacity being observed."
Children, who had long been stuck in their homes amid the pandemic, would now be allowed on parks, playgrounds, beaches and outdoor tourist sites, to name a few.
The same requirement on wearing face masks and social distancing applies, and they must be under the supervision of adults.
Puyat said the move gives the chance for children and the elderly to visit outdoor sites such as Intramuros. She sought to stress its benefits on their physical and mental wellbeing.
The tourism chief added that individuals can visit various sites inside the historic Walled City.
Fort Santiago, she said, could take in 200 guests at a time, 50 in Baluarte San Diego, and 20 in Casa Manila Museum.
There are no COVID-19 vaccinations in the Philippines so far for children as young as five. Local regulators have approved Pfizer for adolescents, but efforts are not yet on the said age group.
On senior citizens, the Department of Health last week said a measly 8.90% or 736,519 have completed their doses out of the targeted 8,276,948.
An official said encouraging more of the elderly to get the jabs is a challenge, as some are discouraged through getting false information about vaccines. — with reports from Rosette Adel