Duterte warns stricter lockdown
President Rodrigo Duterte warned the public on Monday that the government may be forced to reimpose stricter lockdowns should there be a surge in local cases of the deadly and highly-contagious Covid-19 Delta variant.
In his late night public address, the President expressed concern over the detection of 35 local cases of the Delta variant, which he described as “aggressive, vicious, and more virulent” than other virus types of Covid-19.
“We may need to impose stricter measures to prevent mass gatherings and super-spreader events,” he said. “If in case it spreads — I hope not — then we have to go again with stricter measures.”
The President, whose pandemic response was often described as heavy-handed and militaristic, also directed the state forces to implement health and safety protocols with “greater urgency and necessity.”
Duterte appealed to the public to adhere to Covid-19 protocols and obey government officials enforcing it.
“It is only with restrictions we can fight the Delta variant,” he said. “Do not be angry with the police and the military because that is my order. If they fail to implement (protocols) and if there are violations, then I will shout at them. In other words, they are just doing their duty.”
The Philippine leader cited the case of Indonesia which has been reporting thousands of daily cases and hundreds of deaths as the highly contagious Delta variant has been ravaging the country. He also noted that South Korea and Taiwan were forced to impose stricter measures to curb virus transmission.
Duterte added that he hopes the country’s current infrastructure can respond to a possible surge in Covid-19 cases.
Looming ECQ?
Earlier in the day, the Palace said Duterte will not hesitate to impose stricter lockdowns across the country if needed, depending on the recommendations of local experts.
“The President is relying on the Department of Health (DoH) and the national task force against Covid-19. He will not hesitate, in fact, to escalate community quarantine if there are grounds to do so,” presidential spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque said in a televised briefing.
The Palace official, however, admitted that the government prefers the imposition of granular lockdowns over large-scale restrictions to enable more people to go to work. Localized lockdowns in villages with high incidence of Covid-19 are said to be more efficient in containing infections than region-wide restrictions.
Only essential industries will be permitted to operate under the strictest lockdown status or enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), a measure that may leave millions of Filipinos jobless if imposed across regions.
“If we can, we will have localized, granular lockdowns, so our countrymen can continue to work,” Roque said. “Although we know that there is a need to contain Covid-19, we also do not want the number of hungry Filipinos to increase.”
He also said the President is asking local officials to focus on curbing coronavirus transmission in their areas following the detection of local cases of the Delta variant.
Maria Rosario Vergeire, DoH undersecretary and spokesperson, meanwhile, said that the government will base its decisions on quarantine restrictions on existing criteria, including two-week attack rates and health care utilization rates.
So far, the provinces of Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro, as well as the City of Gingoog in Misamis Oriental, had been placed under ECQ until the end of July following a dramatic increase in coronavirus infections.
Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and Butuan City in Agusan del Norte were under modified ECQ, a more relaxed quarantine status compared to ECQ.
Other regions or provinces were placed under varying levels of community quarantine depending on Covid-19 situation.
Vergeire said the health department has been guiding local government units to contain the spread of Covid-19 in their respective areas.
The DoH has met with experts to discuss restrictions in Metro Manila and the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, she added.
The city government of Manila traced 36 contacts of the three Delta variant cases earlier reported there, Vergeire said, adding that the Covid-19 situation in the capital city was “manageable.”
“They were able to identify about 36 individuals already who came in contact with the three positive individuals with Delta variant in the city of Manila,” she said.