Cinemas and arcades will remain closed in Caloocan City with Mayor Oca Malapitan prohibiting on Friday their reopening despite a green light from the national government.
Malapitan made the decision as the local government aims to protect its constituents amid the rising cases of the reportedly more infectious South African variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
"Bagamat nais natin na magpatuloy na ang pagbubukas ng ating ekonomiya, hindi pa rin natin pwedeng isapalaran ang kaligtasan ng mga mamamayan (While we want to revive the economy, we cannot risk the lives and safety of our constituents," Malapitan said, noting that good "health is still the priority in this time of pandemic."
In a recent radio interview, Malapitan raised concern over the health risk posed by the reopening of cinemas.
He said the amount of time that movie goers have to spend inside theaters without proper ventilation amid the COVID-19 pandemic is alarming.
“Well, kasi medyo mapanganib pa rin eh. Kasi nasa loob sila, yung transmission, medyo mapanganib pa rin. ‘pag napasukan ng may sakit yun? (Reopening cinemas is still dangerous. Since people are inside an enclosed space, the risk of transmission is there), ” Malapitan said.
He appealed for understanding from his constituents saying the decision was made for their safety.