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MANILA, Philippines – It’s better to err on the side of caution than hastily ease coronavirus quarantine restrictions in the country at the expense of the healthcare system, Vice President of Commerce and Industry Wes Gatchalian said Tuesday.
Gatchalian said that while he supports the gradual reopening of businesses in the country to help revive the economy, public safety must always come first.
“It is best to err on the side of caution because if another spike in cases occurs, we could unnecessarily flood our hospitals to near full capacity to the detriment of the entire health care system,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
“We have to ensure that COVID-19 cases in the country first stabilize to manageable levels before we begin to ease quarantine restrictions across the country,” he added.
The legislator added that while the country is about to receive its supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the coming days, inoculating the public does not necessarily guarantee immunity against the virus.
Gatchalian made the comment after Acting Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Karl Chua recommended placing the country under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ), the most lenient quarantine status, to mitigate poverty and income loss amid the pandemic.
The majority of the mayors of Metro Manila and the Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases also agreed to place the country under the MGCQ.
However, President Rodrigo Duterte rejected this proposal, saying that “The Philippines would not be placed under MGCQ unless there is a vaccine launch.”
EDV
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