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MANILA, Philippines – The government should take advantage of the latest extension of the COVID-19 blockade over the National Capital Region (NCR) and other areas by speeding up its mass testing procedures.
This was the call of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), stressing that the Duterte administration should “rectify serious deficiencies” in its fight against the pandemic.
“The government should intensify mass testing, not only in terms of the total number of tests, but even more in terms of concentration or focus of testing, the areas that have a high incidence of COVID 19,” Bayan secretary general, Renato Reyes said in a statement.
“The necessary sanitary and economic measures have long been lacking in the areas under ECQ, which is why another extension is now being imposed. The government must also rectify these serious deficiencies towards the eventual lifting of the ECQ, “he added.
The national government on Tuesday extended the improved community quarantine (ECQ), albeit “modified”, in NCR, Cebu City and the province of Laguna until May 31, as these areas are still considered “high risk” for transmission. of COVID-19, and Dozens of provinces considered “moderate risk” for the spread of the virus were placed under the general community quarantine (GCQ) as of May 16.
Meanwhile, the national government is willing to remove quarantine measures in areas considered “low risk” for the transmission of COVID-19 before May 16.
Reyes said the government has yet to ensure that health measures are in place and that personal protective equipment such as face masks must remain available across the country amid quarantine ratings.
“The lifting of the ECQ and the transition to GCQ in many provinces still require timely health interventions as the population prepares to return to work,” he explained.
“The health of the workforce must be guaranteed. Facial masks must be made free of charge. Employers must bear the cost of mass testing their workforce. Transportation, which was missing even before the ECQ, should be available to the workforce, “he added.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque previously admitted that the government lost its April 30 goal of having 8,000 tests per day, but also said that “for good or ill,” the country will do the COVID-19 test of 30,000 per day. at the end of May. Calls on the government to move urgently to adopt a policy on mass testing that started in March.
Data from the Department of Health (DOH) from May 10 showed that 173,352 individuals have been tested for possible coronavirus infection at various test sites, with 15,002 initially positive.
And despite the relaxation of quarantine regulations, DOH has admitted that they have not yet controlled the spread of the new coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, which causes respiratory disease COVID-19, reminding people who still observe the health protocols to avoid massive infections.
As of Tuesday, DOH said the Philippines has 11,350 SARS-CoV-2 infections, as well as 751 deaths and 2,106 recoveries of COVID-19.
KGA
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