Probe ‘Flatten the Fear’ event
We wish to remind them that we are not out of the woods yet and that community transmission is ongoing
Amid calls for an end to all community quarantines in the country made by the Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) yesterday ordered the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) to probe the “Flatten the Fear” event that was held by the said group.
In a statement, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said he directed the CIDG to investigate reports of alleged violations of the prohibition on mass gathering, failure to wear masks and no physical distancing during the event.
“We have ordered the PNP-CIDG to conduct an investigation on the said mass gathering to see if the group is liable for violating protocols at this time of pandemic,” Año said.
“While it seems that they want to help the government in its fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the mass gathering conducted without using masks is dangerous not only to them but also to their families,” he added.
The DILG chief also clarified the investigation was also requested by the Department of Health (DoH).
Members of the Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines recently held a mass gathering, dubbed as “Flatten the Fear” campaign, where many participants allegedly did not wear masks as, according to them, they no longer need to because they are on prophylaxis and preventive treatment for COVID-19.
However, Año stressed the group should have discussed first with the government its recommendations instead of holding a mass gathering as “this move undermines the work that has been done for many months by our frontliners.”
Earlier reports said the group was set to meet with the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to discuss its call of ending COVID-19 lockdowns across the country.
The group said the government should also focus on health promotion in communities to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, instead of imposing lockdowns, which impact many livelihoods.
However, the DILG chief said the group’s call to end all restrictions at this critical time “sends a wrong message to the public and undermines months of hard work by health authorities to flatten the curve and defeat the virus.”
He noted there is still the continuous spread of COVID-19 among communities.
“We wish to remind them that we are not out of the woods yet and that community transmission is ongoing. While we have been able to lower our cases, we cannot be complacent and let down our guard, since an outbreak may suddenly occur, as what we have seen in many countries all over the world,” Año said.
“If we lift the community quarantines while cases are still rising, then we will have a problem with that,” he added.