Philippines letting children out of their homes for first time in over a year

The Philippines is allowing children out of their homes for the first time in over a year. As the country grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, it mandated that children 5 and older stay indoors. Now, those kids can return to parks, hiking trails, outdoor tourist sites and outdoor dining establishments, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a news release.

Children can also participate in non-contact sports, according to the press release. While kids are now free from the confines of their homes, they must be supervised by adults and follow minimum public health standards, such as wearing of face masks and social distancing. The Philippines has reported nearly 1.5 million COVID-19 cases and 25,720 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins, and officials instated what they called a general community quarantine, a temporary measure that limited movement and transportation, regulated industries and increased the presence of uniformed personnel to enforce community quarantine protocols.