Minors aged 17 and below banned outdoors for 2 weeks

Amid surging cases of COVID-19 in the National Capital Region, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced on Tuesday, March 16, that minors aged 17 and below will be prohibited from going outdoors starting Wednesday, March 17.

In a Facebook post, the MMDA said the Metro Manila Council is currently drafting a resolution to implement the ban. Under the resolution, minors are mandated to stay indoors for two weeks or until the end of the month.

The ban will cover all 17 local government units in the National Capital Region.

Under the current mandate of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, individuals aged 15-65 years old are allowed to go out.

MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos said the resolution was agreed upon by all Metro Manila mayors to curb the surge in COVID-19 infections.

“We are implementing age restrictions because of the increase in our COVID-19 cases. We encourage everyone to strictly observe and practice the minimum health protocols, and be extra careful and follow stringent measures particularly when around vulnerable family members, as there have been reports of transmission among family members,” Abalos said.

On Monday, March 15, the Philippines logged 5,404 COVID-19 cases, the fourth biggest single-day tally in the country since the pandemic started. The total COVID-19 cases reached 626,893 that day.

In a report, the OCTA research team said that COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila could spike to 4,000 cases daily by the end of the March. — Rappler.com