The Department of Health affirmed that any spike in new COVID-19 cases in the coming days may require officials to implement strict quarantine rules again as lockdown rules were eased starting this weekend in several areas of the country.
There are lots of photos going viral on social media that show crowds of people heading out to malls in Metro Manila on the first day that the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) was implemented, which was on Saturday.
“This is actually a shifting or transitioning para mapababa at mapababa ang community quarantine. Pero kung makikita po natin ito tapos biglang mag-surge ang cases natin, malaki po ang posibilidad na…we need to do another total lockdown if cases will increase,” DOH Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
Starting Saturday, several malls in Metro Manila partially opened to the public. Vergeire hoped proper guidelines were followed.
Additionally, she said that even if the lockdown rules were eased, the entire Philippines is technically still under quarantine.
Although malls have reopened, non-essential function is still prohibited.
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