MANILA Mayor Isko Moreno yesterday said the decision not to allow minors in malls as announced by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will be followed to the letter.
Before this, Moreno said, he and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, along with concerned heads of various offices, bureaus and departments along with members of the city council, were already putting their heads together to come up with a decision that would put the city’s health situation as the priority consideration, amid an announcement by the DILG that kids may now be allowed in malls provided they are accompanied by guardians or parents.
Now that a final decision is out, Moreno said that all mall operators and barangay heads in the city are directed to follow the regulation.
“Kailangan po nating patuloy na mag-ingat at makinig sa payo ng mga eksperto patungkol sa pagpapahintulot sa mga menor de edad na pumasok sa mga malls. We can never go wrong with scientific data coming from the experts,” Moreno said.
The mayor said that even if the regulations are slowly easing up with the gradual opening of businesses, it should be noted with much caution that COVID is still here and the threat it poses to lives remains in our midst.
“Hangga’t may isang kaso ng sakit na ito, kailangan po natin pangalagaan ang isa’t -isa. Paalala pa rin po sa lahat na magsuot ng face masks at face shields kung mayroon at maghugas ng kamay kasabay ng pag-obserba sa social distancing,” he said.
Moreno said the city of Manila so far, is in a much better place than months ago when it comes to the number of residents getting infected with the coronavirus and the local government would not want to do anything to jeopardize that.
This, he said, can be gleaned from the low occupancy rate in the city’run hospitals and quarantine facilities.
Meanwhile, Moreno reiterated earlier assurances that the city government will be constantly doing everything to fight COVID-19 and stem its transmission, if not totally eradicate it.
