[ad_1]
The government is considering a total block or more severe implementation of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), citing the increasing number of cases of 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and the violation of quarantine restrictions.
In a virtual press conference on Thursday, palace spokesman Harry Roque discovered that the blockade was an option if the number of Covid-19 cases does not decrease and more offenders are reported during the remaining days of quarantine across Luzon.
“I am not going to inform the press, but it is a similar false news yung kumakalat na balita na magkakaroon ng total blockade. But hindi po false news that includes the total blockade, communication and public transport (during my last press conference They asked me to announce that the reports of a total blockade imposed were false news. But what is not false is that the news is being considered a total blockade, especially if the violators persist in our streets), “he said.
He appealed for public aid to contain the contagion by staying home.
“Let’s not prolong the ECQ. Let’s fulfill our obligation, as there is little time left for our ECQ. Let’s be patient,” said Roque.
He added that quarantine violators should be aware that the country already has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia.
“It is embarrassing. Stop being stubborn and stay home,” he said.
President Rodrigo Duterte placed Luzon under enhanced quarantine on March 17. Several other areas of the country are imposing a similar blockade.
Luzon’s quarantine would end on April 12, but was extended until April 30 to allow the government to further improve its response to the disease.
On Wednesday, checkpoints were ordered to be stricter in vehicle control after traffic was reported on some major streets in Luzon despite the quarantine.
The president, according to Roque, was informed about the accumulation of traffic on the highways and public markets on the Blumentritt, Manila and Balintawak roads, Quezon City, without taking into account the rules of social distancing.
The spokesperson said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for Emerging Infectious Diseases had been discussing whether the quarantine should be extended again.
“In an ideal world, we should continue with the ECQ, but the reality is that we must also provide sustenance for our fellow men,” he added.
Roque said that presidential startup adviser Joey Concepción and finance secretary Carlos Domínguez third were for a “limited” or modified quarantine, which limits the ban on the movement of people to specific areas with a high number of Covid-19 infections.
He cited studies showing that quarantine had significantly reduced coronavirus cases in the country, but acknowledged that it was primarily a strategy to curb infections so that the local health system is not overwhelmed.
Roque said the government was seeking a “balance” between public health and economic security.
He also hoped that China would prioritize the Philippines once it developed a treatment for Covid-19.
“We hope that because we are China’s BFF (best friends forever) if they find a cure, they could prioritize us. They won’t prioritize their enemies, will they? ” he said.
Duterte said he would lift the quarantine once an antibody to Covid-19 is commercially available.
He noted that the Philippines was willing to participate in clinical trials for Japan’s Avigan flu drug, which was being tested as a drug for Covid-19.
More than 1.8 million Covid-19 infections were recorded worldwide, according to data uploaded to the official website of the World Health Organization.
Also on Thursday, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the quarantine “is really working.”
Without it, the Philippines could have registered 50,000 cases with 7,000 deaths, he added.
The last two weeks of the quarantine would be “stricter,” he continued.
Year said he had ordered the Philippine National Police and local government units (LGU) to create teams to assist the Health Department in finding contacts.
LGUs must submit a status report to the municipal or municipal Covid-19 Task Force.
The report should include the number of confirmed cases, the number of staff involved in contact tracing, and the number of investigated patients who are identified, isolated, and evaluated.
Year said the “detect, isolate, treat, reinstate” strategy would still be implemented even after the quarantine was lifted.
He added that the IATF was studying how to manage the returning workforce once the companies reopened.
WITH DARWIN PESCO
