OCTA Research opposes allowing children in malls

The OCTA Research team expressed opposition to the proposal to allow children aged 10 and above to go outside and inside malls in a bid to revive the economy.

Last, the trade department said it supports the recommendation of Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua to allow more children to go outside so establishments like malls could have customers.

However, OCTA Research Group fellow Guido David said children would contribute much to revive the economy as they are “not breadwinners.”

He added face-to-face classes were still not allowed due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I mean hindi natin pinapayagan ‘yung school pero papayagan natin sila magpunta ng mall? Parang di lang consistent ‘yung messaging na pwede silang pagala-gala pero di sila nag-aaral. Kung ganun lang e di ibalik natin ang school. Mas importante yun,” he told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

(We don’t even allow school but we will allow them to go to malls? The messaging of allowing them to roam but not go to school is not consistent. If that’s the case, then let’s bring back schools, it’s more important.)

David said children below 16 years old were also not qualified to get COVID-19 vaccines as they could not be included in clinical trials.

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OCTA Research opposes allowing children in malls

“‘Yung vaccine designed siya for 16 and above kaya wag natin hayaan na lumabas-labas ang mga batang ito. Kahit may vaccine na di natin sila mababakunahan,” he said.

(The vaccine is designed for 16 and above so let’s not let these children go outside. Even if there’s a vaccine already, we can’t inoculate them.)