“I don’t think that there should be a middle ground. It’s either you are in a lockdown or you are not in a lockdown,” Co said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20) — The slightly relaxed lockdown in Metro Manila could still be effective in bringing down new COVID-19 infections, but spikes in nearby provinces should be addressed immediately, OCTA Research said on Friday.
Metro Manila will ease from a hard lockdown to modified enhanced community quarantine from Aug. 21 to 31 despite the surge in coronavirus cases and the threat of the highly contagious Delta variant. Under MECQ, indoor and al fresco dining and personal care services are still prohibited. Religious gatherings shall also remain strictly virtual.
“There will be dire consequences because what will happen if you are in MECQ, the cases will still continue to rise and then the conditions are almost the same as ECQ. It’s something that is really not going to end up well as we see the numbers surge,” he added.
OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said the fruits of the two-week ECQ could still be continued despite the slightly relaxed community quarantine restrictions.
But for infectious diseases expert Dr. Benjamin Co, the ECQ should have been extended at least until the end of August, since the number of infections will surely continue to rise because of the Delta variant.
“Theory is one thing, but actual numbers would be a different thing, so let’s hope that we’ll be able to hold it at the current pace,” he told CNN Philippines.
To be able to effectively bring down cases in Metro Manila, the ongoing spikes in Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, and parts of Batangas should be stopped. David also specifically raised the alarm on the significant increase in cases in Cavite.
“We hope that we can control this soon because this will affect how the trend in Metro Manila will be in the future even if we control the cases in Metro Manila, but if cases are still rising in neighboring regions, it will be a challenge for us,” he said.
David also said testing should be increased by two-fold or up to 100,000 COVID-19 tests daily to improve the country’s positivity rate, which is currently over 20% when the ideal is 10%.
