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MANILA – An infectious disease specialist has warned the public not to be vigilant, as the Philippine government will reduce quarantine restrictions to revive the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
Metro Manila, Laguna and Cebu City will be under an “amended” improved community quarantine (ECQ) from May 16 to 31, during which certain businesses will be reopened with up to half their operating capacity.
Eight regions classified as “low risk” for COVID-19 infection will also be placed under a “modified” general community quarantine (GCQ) during this period.
Part of the reason for the change was the lower pandemic spread rate in the country, said Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvaña, a specialist at the National Institutes of Health at the University of the Philippines.
The virus’s replication number is close to 1.0 (meaning a patient can infect another person) from up to 4 (up to 4 people can be infected) before the implementation of community blockades, he said.
“But it can easily resurface,” he said in a Facebook post, citing cases in South Korea and Germany.
“The worst that could happen is for people to treat the ECQ and GCQ relaxation as a kind of presentation party. We still haven’t won. “
The virus has sickened 11,876 people in the Philippines, of whom 790 died.
The number of confirmed cases is among the highest in Southeast Asia, where Singapore has more than 25,300 infections, while Indonesia has at least 15,438.
In the Philippines, authorities have been reminding the public to observe strict quarantine measures, such as staying home unless they need to go outside and observe physical distancing, despite some changes to closing restrictions.
“Please understand that we will not be back to normal in a long time,” said Salvaña.
A World Health Organization official warned that the new coronavirus “may become another endemic virus in our communities and … may never go away.”
Experts from around the world are pushing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, but the WHO said the process could still take 12 to 18 months.
COVID-19, coronavirus, Edsel Maurice Salvaña, enhanced community quarantine, general community quarantine, Philippine coronavirus, COVID-19 Philippines, Philippine coronavirus udpates, COVID-19 Philippines updates
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