President Duterte has revoked his order allowing the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes in select areas due to the new strain of COVID-19.
In his special meeting with members of the government's pandemic task force and some infectious diseases experts, Duterte asked Education Secretary Leonor Briones that he was taking back his previous order.
"With the new strain, whether it's true or not, yung order ko noon kay Briones (my order to Secretary Briones) that she can--I'm calling back the order and I will not allow face-to-face classes for the children until we are through with this," he said Saturday evening.
"I cannot take the risk of allowing the children . That would be a disaster, actually. Be mindful of that, I am canceling the order I gave a few weeks ago," he added.
According to the President, his new decision stays until health experts know more about the new COVID-19 variant known as B.1.1.7.
"We have to know the nature of the germ that we are confronting. Wala pa tayong alam (We know nothing yet)," he said.
Duterte allowed mid-December the pilot testing of face-to-face classes in areas that will be considered at low risk for COVID-19 in January 2021.
The President has banned face-to-face classes in the entire country until a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available. The government expects to start the vaccination program within the first quarter of 2021.