The Economist: America’s better future: February 20th-26th 2021
Filipino kids have been confined to their homes for almost a year now. 32 million Filipinos under the age of 15- one-third of the population- are “required to remain in their residences at all times,” a law issued by the government with the hope to curb the spread of Covid-19. The country views the young and old as the most vulnerable, thus allowing those of working ages with fewer restrictions. The number of Coronavirus cases peaked at 4,000 a day in August and have now plummeted to 1,600 day- despite limited testing.
Confining children within their homes during the pandemic has been seen in other nations such as Spain, however, the order lasted only a few weeks. Bernadette Madrid of Child Protecction Unit at the University of the Philipines said, “Everyone accepts that it could result in poor psycho-social effects on children.” Despite this statement, her, along with many paediatricians, psychiatrists, epidemiologists, public-health specialists and parents think the benefits of keeping them at home, outweigh the risks.
Even though it is rare for children to suffer serious cases of the virus, they can still carry and transmit it to others. Less than one-tenth of ederly Filipinos live alone, and more than 10 percent of people older than 60 live with their grandchildren. The loudest opposition to the lockdown has not been parents, but buisnesses. The GDP contracted by 9.5 percent last year-the worst of any large South-East Asia country.
A senator complained that cock-fighting pits have been allowed to reopen as schools remain closed. The country’s Covid-19 response unit, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, announced in January it would allow children 10 and older to go to shopping malls. However, President Rodrigo Duterte abruptly reversed the decision.
As Covid-19 continues to be the predominate issue throughout the globe, different responses to the virus by governments across the world have sparked reflection, criticism, tension, and even outrage. The Philippines response to the virus can yet be one more plan viewed in the eyes of others as a major fluke, yet it has many similarities to other countries’ responses. The majority of students in the U.S have still been learning online and are awaiting to return to in-class learning. Even though children around the world do not commonly suffer from the virus itself, they face, and will continue to face, challenges regarding their mental health and lack of education.
As the world steps into the next phase of the Coronavirus: the vaccination process, eyes will turn to the U.S, China, Russia, and the UK, for vaccines, as well as how to distribute them in an effective way. Nations will learn and benefit from other nations, as some fall further into economic depression and lose hope. Once the virus has concluded, the international community will look to see who has come out the other side.