(Eagle News) – Metro Manila mayors have expressed concern about the opening of cinemas this February in the Philippine capital especially with the emergence of new and more infectious COVID-19 variants in the country.
Metro Manila Council chair Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said they have appealed this decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the further opening of the economy, especially of enclosed air-conditioned cinemas.
In an interview with NET25’s newest news show, Balitalakayan, anchored by Weng dela Fuente, Olivarez said that they cannot afford another lockdown in case of an upsurge in COVID-19 cases in their areas.
“Ang concern lang po talaga ng Metro Manila mayors ay yung fully air-conditioned enclosed cinemas. Kasi alam naman po natin na kapag po enclosed ang ventilation, may problema po doon. E yun po ang ating iniiwasan, kasi hindi na po natin kayang magkaroon ng lockdown,” Mayor Olivarez said.
“Kasi po pag magkaroon ng lockdown ay lalo pong maapektuhan ang ating ekonomiya,” he noted.
Olivarez said that they have already informed Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez about their apprehensions on the opening of cinemas.
He said that Metro Manila mayors are not against the slow opening of the economy to help businesses that had been affected by the pandemic.
But at the same time, he stressed that being careful amid the still raging COVID-19 pandemic is essential to prevent another lockdown.
Acknowledging the concerns of the Metro Manila Council, Presidential Spokesperson Roque said that they respect the position and apprehension of the Metro Manila mayors.
He said that this is why they have chosen to defer until March 1 the implementation of the IATF resolution on the opening of cinemas.
Roque said that the mayors also needed to lay down the operational guidelines for the opening of cinemas.
Under the present General Community Quarantine protocols, cinemas are still not allowed to open.
The present GCQ status in Metro Manila is still valid until end of the month.
On Friday, Feb. 12, IATF Spokesperson Roque announced that more industries will be allowed to reopen under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) areas including driving schools, cinemas or movie houses, game arcades, museums and cultural centers, and exhbition and conference areas.
Supposedly this reopening will start this Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, based on the latest ruling of the IATF. But this will still be subject to the guidelines of the local government units, Roque said.
The Department of Health (DOH) had earlier said that enough ventilation should be present in a room or facility so that this will minimize the danger of COVID-19 transmission.
(Eagle News Service)
