Duterte Thumbs Down Lockdown for Metro Manila Over Coronavirus Scare
CORONAVIRUS – President Rodrigo Roa Dutert said Metro Manila will not be under lockdown for now.
On March 9, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has declared a state of public health emergency amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. He revealed that the country now has 24 confirmed cases. A Chinese national from Wuhan, China was the first fatality in the Philippines.
ABS-CBN Network and Eat Bulaga also decided to temporarily suspend the live studio audience. In a previous article, Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Salceda proposed to lockdown Metro Manila to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Based on a report from ABS-CBN News, President Duterte said it is too early for the government to lockdown Metro Manila due to the virus outbreak. He noted that the Philippines has “not reached that kind of contamination.”
“We have not reached that kind of contamination. Iisa-isa lang. With this transmission, you want to close down the economy at this time?” he said.
The 74-year-old chief executive announced that the National Capital Region (NCR) will not be under lockdown despite the rise of COVID-19 cases in the country.
“There will be a time I suppose. I hope not. I hope God will have mercy on our — the Filipino people. There might be a time. Pero at this time, you want me to… It’s too early,” the president said.
According to the report, President Duterte said they are finding “balance” between the health of the public and economic needs. He said, “Hindi ko sinasabi na bakit hintayin mo ba magkasakit lahat? It’s not that. But you have to balance…Eh wala na magpasok ng bigas, walang magpasok ng mga gasolina, i-lock down mo, patay ang…”
The deadly virus has caused the death of nearly 4000 people with more than 1200 cases recorded worldwide.
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