OCTA says children's visit to enclosed spaces must be limited
Bringing children, especially unvaccinated ones, to enclosed spaces such as malls must be limited as the threat of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) still lingers.
Independent research group OCTA said this in a virtual public briefing on Thursday, Nov. 18, as the group reiterated its reminder not to be complacent amid the ongoing pandemic.
“Iyong pananaw namin sa OCTA, bagama’t kailangan lumabas iyong ating kabataan,...sana po i-limit iyong pagpunta sa enclosed areas gaya ng malls (Our view in OCTA, although kids need to go out,... please limit your visit to enclosed areas such as malls),” said Professor Ranjit Rye during the Laging Handa briefing on Thursday.
He explained that complacency following the easing of restrictions may cause an uptick in infections.
"Gusto ko lang reiterate, hindi talaga puwedeng magpabaya, magkumpiyansa (I just want to reiterate, can’t let our guard down, be complacent),” Rye said.
“Nandito pa ang COVID at iyong mga trends natin hindi permanente iyan, pababa nga tayo ngayon kung hindi tayo magtutulung-tulong sa pagsunod lalo na iyong minimum public health standards...ay madali talagang bumaligtad iyong trend at tumaas (COVID is still here and our trends are not permanent, it is going down now if we don't work together to comply with the minimum public health standards... it's really easy to reverse the trend and cause an increase),” he added.
The group of experts explained that this act of adherence to the minimum public health standards does not only ensure the safety of the people but also the reopening of the country’s economy.
During the same briefing, Dr. Guido David, an OCTA Research member, stated that the country’s seven-day average of COVID-19 cases is now at 1,600.
He explained that this is 27 percent lower than the previous week.
Meanwhile, the country’s COVID-19 reproduction number stood at 0.37, an indication of a downward trend of infections in the Philippines.
The group hopes that by the end of November, the country’s seven-day average of COVID-19 cases will decrease to less than 1,000 to achieve a joyful holiday season. (Charie Mae F. Abarca)