Earlier today, it was announced that the government is looking into whether the Philippines needs to extend the enhanced community quarantine for two more weeks to sustain the gains that it has achieved so far in terms of containing the spread of COVID-19.
Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. says it is still to early to announce an extension since different factors will still need to be taken into consideration, such as the input of scientists and doctors, as well as the study of other countries’ reference models.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles shares other factors that will need to be considered before deciding on an extension: the trends in the epidemiological curve of COVID-19 in the Philippines, the capacity of our healthcare system, security factors, social factors, and economic factors.
“It is hard to announce normalcy just to go back to another lockdown,” he explains. “There is a huge possibility that the quarantine will be extended for 15 to 20 days because the number of cases is still rising.” He also notes that other countries saw new COVID-cases arise after lifting their quarantine measures. Ultimately, the decision lies in President Rodrigo Duterte’s hands.
As we approach the end of the quarantine, Galvez reminds everyone to wear face masks when going out. He also shares that mass testing has already started with 1,000 tests being conducted in nine accredited testing centers everyday and hopefully more as more testing centers are approved.
Do you think the quarantine should be extended?
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