Kids
Drop in COVID-19 Cases in the Philippines: Can Our Kids Finally Go Out?
We pity our kids who haven’t gotten fresh air in the last two years. But should we let them out now with the drop in COVID cases in the Philippines?
We know it’s hard to look at our kids since they’ve been caged up because of the lockdowns. It must have been godsend news when Metro Manila dropped to Alert Level 2. Then, there’s the vaccination drive for our kids. But can we truly say it’s safe? Or are we expecting too much? While we really want to bring our kids out and around again with COVID cases in the Philippines dropping, we have to check if it’s worth it or not.
DOH says: “Bring them out for sunlight and fresh air. But not in crowded malls.”
“Please remember that children were allowed to go out for them to exercise, get sunlight, and interact with other kids. Not for them to be brought to crowded establishments like malls,” Vergeire stressed in a press conference on November 15, 2021.
While it’s easier to bring them to the mall since everything is in one place, a mall is still an enclosed space. It’s also known for mass gatherings since it can hold a lot of people. Our cases might even spike up since not all LGUs have vaccinations for our kids yet. Some even limited the age range because studies haven’t been completely clear what the COVID vaccine will do to kids below 12.
“It should serve as a warning to all of us. If this will continue, the probability that the cases will shoot up again is still there. We all need to be very cautious and comply with minimum public health standards. LGUs and establishments must enforce protocols so we don’t have a surge,” Vergeire said.
While it is tempting, we shouldn’t let our guards down just yet.
While some of us managed to leave the Philippines or go to the province to spare our kids from being trapped, a lot of us are fighting against that itch to bring them out again. Just because COVID cases in the Philippines have dropped doesn’t mean we’re winning against the virus. We may not like keeping our kids inside but the last thing we want to do is trigger another surge and force kids back into their homes again.
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