The Philippines will soon allow cinemas, theme parks and conferences to resume as it seeks to further reopen an economy that suffered a record contraction last year.
It will also expand the seating capacity of religious gatherings to a maximum of 50 percen from the current 30 percent starting February 15, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement issued on Friday. President Duterte is worried about the economy and aims for an immediate recovery, Roque said earlier this week.
The country’s task force overseeing measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic also approved the reopening of driving schools, interactive-game arcades, libraries, museums, and cultural centers.
Their resumption, along with cinemas, parks and conferences are subject to guidelines by agencies and local governments where they operate, according to Roque. He didn’t specify a date for the reopening of these sectors.
While the Philippines has the second-worst outbreak in Southeast Asia, the reported daily infections have been below 2,300 in the past three months. The country added 1,734 cases on February 11 to 543,282, with total fatalities at 11,469.
‘Limited’ face-to-face classes in HEIs
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Health have issued a joint memorandum circular (JMC) for the conduct of limited face-to-face classes for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offering medicine and allied health sciences, as well as universities in areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
In a JMC signed on February 10, CHED Chairman Prospero J. de Vera III and Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III also reminded that the limited face-to-face classes will not be mandatory for the students. School will also be required to have an alternative educational set-up for those who cannot attend the class physically.
To make sure that the health protocols will be strictly observed once the classes start, de Vera inspected some classrooms and other school facilities early this month.
Expected to attend face-to-face classes are students taking up medicine, nursing, medical technology or medical laboratory science, physical therapy, midwifery and public health.
De Vera said that only those subjects that will be needing actual practice will be allowed to attend face-to-face classes and that they should be ages 20 and above.
The CHED official also reminded the schools to coordinate first with their respective local governments before starting their face-to-face classes.
For more details the guidelines can be checked on this link: https://ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/CHED-DOH-Joint-Memorandum-Circular-No.-2021-001-Guidelines-on-the-Gradual-Reopening-of-Campuses-of-Higher-Education-Institutions-for-Limited-Face-to-Face-Classes-during-the-COVID-19-Pandemic.pdf.
Bloomberg News with Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
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