Philippine Parents Seek Creative Play Places During Pandemic

 

Parents in the Philippines are finding some creative ways to get their children outside to play as pandemic restrictions¹ continue.

One of those children is two-year-old Nathania Ysobel Alesna. On a recent day in the capital Manila, Nathania played outside her home for the first time in her life. Government-ordered coronavirus restrictions had kept her inside for the past 20 months.

Nathania rode a bicycle as her mother, Ruth Francine Faller, looked on.

Faller told Reuters her daughter experienced "overflowing²" joy at getting to play outdoors. "She looks innocent and at the same time amazed at what she saw," Faller said.

Later, Faller shared the experience online with a Facebook group that includes other parents in the area. The group is designed to help parents find places where their children can spend time outdoors or in public places without getting in trouble with police.

For many of the 40 million Filipinos under the age of 18, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a continuous lockdown. This is because the government considers children a particularly high-risk group. Few other countries consider children high-risk.

After 20 months, hundreds of thousands of parents are turning to social media to find safe areas for their children outside the home. The parents worry about how such long-term stay-at-home orders will affect the mental health of their children.

The Facebook group is called "Kids Are Allowed." It aims to find creative ways to treat play as exercise and identify public spaces where enforcement is not as strong.

The group was set up in March by Hershey May Avillo-Parcarey. It has grown quickly. She told Reuters she gets up to 5,000 requests a day to join the group. The group now has around 200,000 members. Similar groups have also been created.

The nationwide policy, ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte, bans minors³ from outdoor areas and public spaces. But the rules are enforced unevenly⁴. There is an exception that permits minors to be outside if they are exercising.

The Philippine government repeated in late October that at-risk groups, including children, are still under stay-at-home orders.

Some businesses have faced government action for accepting children. But officials in some areas recognize that parents are growing tired of restrictions and sometimes overlook⁵ violations⁶.

Mica⁷ Cañete recently visited a shopping center in Manila with her husband and their daughter, who is almost three. It marked their first family outing in 20 months. "I already have many spots in my bucket list for the kids, so I am thankful for ideas in the Facebook group," Cañete said.

Mental health experts say such groups provide support for struggling parents and for children who are experiencing emotional and behavioral issues after long periods spent indoors.

Anna Cristina Tuazon is a professor at the University of the Philippines and a psychologist who treats children and families. She told Reuters that the Facebook group is an example of one way to help prevent parents from feeling alone.

A report in the medical publication JAMA Pediatrics said in August that depression and anxiety rates among young children across the world may have doubled since the start of the pandemic.

Parcarey said she does not approve any posts by Facebook group members that suggest things like hiding children in the driver's seat to avoid police. Her own eight-year-old son, Railey Samuel, said he misses going out to do things. "Now, it's hard for me to go out," he said. "I pray for the coronavirus pandemic to be gone."

Words in This Story

bicycle – n. a vehicle with two wheels that you sit on and move by turning the two pedals⁸

amazed – adj. extremely surprised

lockdown – n. an emergency in which people are not permitted to freely move about an area because of danger

allow – v. to permit

shopping – n. the activity of buying things from shops

bucket list – n. a list of things a person would like to do before they die

psychologist – n. someone who has studied the human mind and feelings

anxiety – n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

3 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 unevenly   

adv.不均匀的

参考例句：

• Fuel resources are very unevenly distributed. 燃料资源分布很不均匀。
• The cloth is dyed unevenly. 布染花了。

5 overlook   

v.忽视，忽略，俯瞰，眺望，宽容，宽恕

参考例句：

• How could you overlook paying the rent?你怎么会忘了付房租？
• It was a slight overlook on my part.这是我的一个小疏忽。

6 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

7 mica   

n.云母

参考例句：

• It could not pass through material impervious to water such as mica.它不能通过云母这样的不透水的物质。
• Because of its layered structure,mica is fissile.因为是层状结构，云母很容易分成片。

8 pedals   

n.（自行车或其他机器的）踏板( pedal的名词复数 )；脚蹬子；（钢琴、风琴等的）踏板；踏瓣

参考例句：

• I couldn't reach the pedals on her bike. 我骑她的车够不到脚蹬子。
• The pedals of a cycle are attached to a crank. 自行车的踏板与曲柄相连。 来自辞典例句