Parks and recreation vs the pandemic

Even if it’s crowded, being outdoors in Rizal Park, Manila, is much safer than dining in restaurants or doing other allowed indoor activities amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, says the writer. — Filepic

“HAVE you seen Luneta on a Sunday, pre-Covid-19?”

I get asked this every time I advocated for allowing outdoor activities amidst the pandemic in Manila. I would argue back by saying that even a crowded Luneta (also known as Rizal Park) on a Sunday is much safer than indoor dining or other activities that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has prioritised over the past year.