An infectious disease expert expressed his support on proposals to suspend the policy allowing children aged five and above outdoors amid the threat of the Delta variant of coronavirus.

Children may transmit the virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) inside their respective homes, said Dr. Rontgene Solante, head of the adult infectious diseases unit at San Lazaro hospital in Manila.

“I fully agree with that recommendation,” he said during a televised press briefing on Tuesday, July 20.

“Halimbawa kung mayroong bata nag-positive nga, dahil pinapalabas ‘no. Kapag umuuwi iyan sa bahay, tapos may mga matatanda sa bahay na kasama na hindi pa bakunado, puwede niyang mahawaan ito (For example, if a child is positive because they were allowed outdoors and when they return home, and then there are elderly people in the house who have not been vaccinated, they can transmit the virus),” he explained.

“So, that’s the danger there, kung halimbawa ituloy natin itong pagpalabas ng mga ganitong klaseng sitwasyon na mayroong Delta variant (if for example we continue to let children outdoors during this kind of situation where there is a Delta variant),” he added.

Solante said that children are not “exempted” in contracting COVID-19.

“Although mababa ang kaso sa mga bata (although cases among children are relatively low), that doesn’t exempt them from getting the infection,” he reminded.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) last July 9 allowed children aged five and above to go outdoors in areas under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) and GCQ.