The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has deferred the plan to reopen cinemas to March 1 after Metro Manila mayors opposed the move.
Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez. head of the Metro Manila Council said all the mayors were apprehensive about the recommendation to allow cinemas in general community quarantine (GCQ) areas to reopen because the matter did not go through “proper consultation.”
He pointed out that local government units in Metro Manila were consulted by IATF regarding other matters but not the reopening of cinemas.
Olivarez learned that Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro would issue an executive order prohibiting the reopening of cinemas in the city if the IATF did not defer the implementation.
Olivarez said most of the mayors agreed not to reopen cinemas because this would put people in an enclosed, air-conditioned space for longer than 30 minutes, increasing the risks of COVID-19 transmission.
Olivarez said the MMC, composed of the 17 mayors in the National Capital Region, supports the opening up of the economy but it “could not sacrifice” health protocols.
The MMC chairman also said that mayors are worried about reopening video and inter-active arcades.
Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. supported the mayors’ decision, saying the economy should be reopened gradually.
“Let’s see, let’s take it slow. If there’s no spike in cases. What’s scary is if there will be a spike. It would be difficult to go back. The vaccine is almost here.,” Abalos said.
Pasay City Mayor Imelda Rubiano said while they support the decision of IATF to open some tourism-related businesses to help revive the economy, they believe that it is not yet the time for theaters to reopen.
Rubiano suggested that cinemas be reopened after the nationwide immunization campaign is through and that the vaccines are proven effective in containing the virus.
The mayors’ decision was supported by the OCTA Research Group which called the reopening of traditional cinemas, arcades and amusement partsk “risky.”
Interviewed on GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali,” OCTA’s Ranjit Rye said the government should be more cautious about loosening restrictions after finding 44 cases of the more transmissible UK variant of the coronavirus here.
Senator Francis Pangilinan said he too believed it was not the right time to reopen cinemas.
“We should listen to the experts and those on the ground,” he said.
“All of us want to go back to normal, to be with our loved ones, to celebrate birthdays, to go to moviehouses and arcades, to go to churches,” he said.
But life cannot return to normal and economic recovery cannot begin if there is no good testing, tracing, isolation and a vaccine rollout, he added.
If the government cannot properly address these, there will be more COVID-19 cases in the country, he said.
Senator Imee Marcos on Monday also supported the deferment of the reopening of cinemas.
Instead, she said, the government should prioritize the return of students for face-to-face classes with maximum health protocols being observed.
She pointed out students would not become intelligent just by going to watch movies and play games in an arcade.
Earlier, the Department of Health stressed the need for good ventilation and air filtration systems if cinemas are allowed to reopen.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, in an interview on radio dzBB, said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), DOH, and the Department of Trade and Industry will soon release guidelines on the reopening of cinemas.
“There must be a massive filtering capacity to really clean the air,” he said in Filipino.
Duque added that moviegoers must not be allowed to eat or drink inside the cinema to avoid COVID-19 transmission.
At a virtual briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Labor Department consulted experts to ensure the preparedness of cinemas for reopening.
“They have consulted with an epidemiologist so that they can provide these ventilation requirements, specifically in enclosed spaces to prevent infection,” she said.
Before it was deferred, the reopening of cinemas was moved from mid-February to March pending the release of guidelines against COVID-19.