SENIORS and other vulnerable sectors of the society will have the green spaces in historic Intramuros all to themselves for two hours of exercise on a weekend.
Starting October 30, vaccinated senior citizens, persons with disability, pregnant women, and persons with health risks will be able to exercise from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. every Saturday at Fort Santiago and Baluarte de San Diego.
In a news statement, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said, “We wish to give our fellow Filipinos, especially those who belong to the vulnerable sector, a breathing, healing and comfortable space.” The DOT chief, who chairs the Intramuros Administration, said access to these sites are available through an advance ticket reservation system.
“This will help boost their overall health and well-being,” she stressed.
Intramuros recently reopened select sites to Metro Manila residents between the ages 18 and 65. With this exclusive exercise period on Saturdays, “we are making the place more inclusive, where our members of our [vaccinated] vulnerable population can enjoy their time in Intramuros safely,” she added.
For his part, Intramuros Administrator Guiller Asido told the BusinessMirror, “We will see first the reception and hopefully, if the results are good, we will do it everyday already.” He added, the initial Saturday exercise period will also allow IA to test the reservation system as well.”
He added, the unvaccinated among the vulnerable sectors are also welcome to exercise in Intramuros any other day, “but we have observed none visiting to exercise at those times.”
Priot to the pandemic, the walled city was one of the most popular tourist attractions in Metro Manila. In 2019, it received some 3.7 million visitors.
Under the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF) Guidelines for the Pilot Implementation of Alert Levels System for Covid-19 Response in the National Capital Region issued on October 7, 2021, “Individual outdoor exercises shall be allowed for all ages regardless of comorbidities or vaccination status.”
IATF Resolution No. 144 issued on October 14, 2021, allows the Intramuros Administration to “implement such programs in Fort Santiago and Baluarte de San Diego for fully vaccinated senior citizens aged 65 and above, consistent with the guidelines on the Pilot Implementation of Alert Levels System for Covid-19 Response and without any objections from the City of Manila.”
Reservations may be booked through bit.ly/3ilptmu. For more information, the public can visit the social media accounts of Intramuros Administration or email their inquiry to tourism@intramuros.gov.ph
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