IATF Defends Decision to Place Metro Manila Under Lockdown
IATF – Defending the lockdown, the Inter-Agency Task Force against COVID-19 warned that the Philippines may be the ‘next India or Indonesia’.
Several countries are currently exerting all the efforts they can to fight the spread of COVID-19 following the detection of the Delta variant, the variant of concern for how fast it can spread. It is known to be more transmissible compared to the other mutations of the coronavirus.
The Philippines is one of the countries that logged cases of the Delta variant. According to the Department of Health (DOH), there are already local transmissions of the variant in some areas in the country.
The Delta variant resulted in massive deaths in India. Their healthcare system collapsed amid the rapid increase in the cases. It is also considered a factor in the surge in coronavirus cases in Indonesia, Thailand, and several other countries.
As part of the efforts to curb the spread of the Delta variant, the IATF proposed to placed Metro Manila under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) for two weeks. The said recommendation gained the approval of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
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The whole Metro Manila will be under ECQ starting tomorrow, August 6, until August 20. The vaccination will continue amid the ECQ thus those individuals who are set to receive their jab will be allowed to go out.
However, undeniably, there are complaints over placing Metro Manila under ECQ again. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the IATF defended that the Philippines may be the ‘next India or Indonesia’.
According to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., the business sector even expressed that if there won’t be any action, the country may not be able to recover during the fourth quarter. Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano stressed that no other ASEAN country was able to address the problem without implementing a lockdown in their key cities.
During the ECQ, public transportation will remain in consideration also of those who will be going out for the vaccination and as well as for the essential workers.
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