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MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has extended a radical blockade on Metro Manila and two other urban centers until the end of May, even as the restrictions that have so far led to the massive loss of jobs and a paralyzed economy have been eased elsewhere.
“There will be areas that will remain blocked … We have to do this gradually, or risk falling. We cannot afford a second or third wave … because we are not following the rules,” Duterte said in a briefing broadcast on Tuesday (12 of May).
“Covid-19 is very lethal,” he emphasized. “Don’t gamble with your lives … You can go either way. You can go to your funeral or you can just sleep at home.
“You don’t have to die. Just follow the government’s orders and you will live,” he said.
His spokesman Harry Roque told reporters later that day that Metro Manila would be locked up for an additional 15 days.
Metro Manila, the capital region, encompasses 16 cities and is home to more than 13 million people.
With the 15-day extension, it will now be locked for as long as Wuhan in China, where the virus was first detected.
In addition to Metro Manila, Cebu City, a key gateway in central Philippines, and Laguna Province, south of Manila, would also remain closed until at least the end of May.
These three areas represent about 9,000 of the more than 11,000 cases of Covid-19 infections reported across the country.
At least 726 people have died so far, of which 526 are in Metro Manila.
Closing restrictions will be reduced for the rest of the Philippines after May 15.
“MODIFIED” LOCK FOR METRO MANILA
Mr. Roque said Metro Manila would be in “modified improved community quarantine.”
That means that some companies, factories and processing plants may reopen, but with only half their usual number of employees, according to social distancing guidelines, he explained.
Trains, buses, jeepneys, taxis, ride-sharing services, and motorized rickshaws can get back on the road.
But they can only carry passengers who are in “essential careers”, such as buying groceries and medicines, or heading to work for companies authorized to reopen.
Everyone else will have to follow movement and shelter restrictions at home, and mayors can put their city’s districts still affected by widespread viral transmission under “hard block,” meaning no one enters or leaves, and everyone must be inside their homes.
“We are doing this so that we can gradually reopen the economy,” Roque said.
Metro Manila has been effectively disconnected from the rest of the Philippines and the world since mid-March.
All domestic flights and sea travel have been suspended, except those that transport essential goods.
The companies have retired and have sent their workers home, with the exception of those who work in sectors such as food and medicine, public services, banks, telecommunications companies and logistics companies.
Finance Secretary Carlos Domínguez said Tuesday that up to 1.5 million workers had lost their jobs.
Carlito Gálvez, head of the Covid-19 working group, said the closure in Metro Manila would have to be eased soon, reiterating concerns raised by many local officials and businessmen.
“The government cannot endure the (enhanced community quarantine) for an extended period of time, as its resources are very limited. It has to balance health and economy, “he said.
THE CURVE IS STILL NOT FLAT
A task force that oversaw efforts to slow the spread of the virus earlier considered easing quarantine restrictions in less-reported cities in Metro Manila.
But Mayor Edwin Olivarez, president of the Metro Manila Council, said a city-by-city relaxation was not possible.
“It cannot be different by city,” he said, noting that mass transit cannot be restarted in one city, and not in another.
Trains, for example, go through many cities in Metro Manila, he said.
“We have not flattened the curve yet … What we really fear is a more severe second wave.”
On Saturday, a team of experts from the Philippine State University warned that easing the blockade in Metro Manila too soon could lead to at least 1,700 deaths in mid-June and 24,000 new infections.
A leading health expert and technical adviser to the government previously said the blockade in much of the Philippines had successfully slowed the spread of the coronavirus, with recent figures suggesting a “flattening of the curve.”
Epidemiologist Dr. John Wong said the data supported a gradual lifting of draconian quarantine measures.
The data showed that “speed has slowed down considerably,” he said.
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