Granular lockdown then
That the Department of Health has recognized that wide-scale lockdowns are no longer effective in containing Covid-19 infections, it has practically passed on the decisions of scaled lockdowns to the local government execut i ves.
DOH spokesperson Rosario Vergeire, in her media briefing on Aug. 23, 2021, said thus, “Pag tinitingnan natin, when we are trying to analyze together with our experts, it looks like it’s not really being effective anymore,” Vergeire said.
Lockdowns have been the prescribed routine ever since the pandemic took off in the first quarter of last year. It proved effective at some point in “flattening the curve,” allowing government time to expand health care facilities for a period.
The highly-incendiary Delta variant, however, is one game changer, accounting for 1,273 cases so far. Genome sequencing results on Aug. 23, 2021, revealed 466 more cases, 19 of which were Central Visayas in origin. Big waves in all places altogether.
The DOH, after a close look at the patterns of transmissions, this time tries a different tack. It is now recommending granular lockdowns while pushing for the improvement of the PreventDet ect -I sol at e-Tr eat -Rei n t egrate (PDITR) strategy.
“Prevent” should mean strict enforcement of minimum health protocols. “Detect” should be a more active and expansive contact tracing effort in the local government unit (LGU) level. Isolation can only be possible with available isolation facilities, and citizens being made to understand that self-quarantine at the slightest hint of flu-like symptoms is a responsibility they must bear.
the exponential rise in the number of Covid-19 cases and the increasing number of fatalities due to the disease.
On Monday, August 23, the Municipal Council of Guagua unanimously passed Resolution 82-2021, which was backed by Torres' Executive Order 27S-2021, directing urgent measures to be taken to combat the virus.
Aside from the 505 active cases, the town had also registered a total of 120 corona virus related deaths. Torres said that the rise in infections have been detected by the town’s massive testing of recent close contacts as well as random tests of local residents.
Just before the declaration of the state of calamity, several areas of the Betis District has been placed under quarantine due to the spike in local transmissions.