and JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
GOVERNMENT has “flattened” the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) curve but it is still bent on significantly bringing down the number of infections all over the country, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said on Tuesday.
Año, a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), said health experts who attended the group’s meeting with President Duterte last Monday “agreed that the lockdown has really made a lot of good success for us.”
Among the medical experts present were former health secretaries like Rep. Janet Garin, Esperanza Cabral, and Jaime Galvez Tan; and Susan Mercado, Anthony Leachon, Ana Lisa Ong Lim, Marissa Alejandria, Katherine Ann Reyes, and Alfredo Mahar Lagmay.
Año quoted the health professionals as saying that if the government had not placed the entire Luzon region under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the figures would have ballooned to 80,000 cases by now with 5,000 deaths.
“We have flattened the curve but actually mas gusto natin to crush the curve, meaning to say talagang bumulusok na talaga siya para at least ay ma-ensure natin na talagang na-control natin ‘yung pag-spread ng virus (We have flattened the curve but we want to crush the curve, meaning to see the figures nose-dive to ensure that we have already controlled the spread of the virus),” he said.
Año said the health authorities believe that a modified lockdown is the government’s best next strategy in its continuing efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus once the current Luzon-wide ECQ ends on April 30.
He said they presented “analytics” that pointed to a modified community quarantine as the most plausible follow-up measure to the enhanced lockdown.
Año said the health experts, along with acting National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) head Karl Chua, presented “parameters” and “data about the (COVID-19) trend” during the meeting.
The DILG chief said the IATF will discuss the inputs as task force members continue to deliberate on the government’s next step when the ECQ ends at the end of the month. The IATF is expected to submit its recommendations to the President this week on whether to extend, lift or modify the Luzon lockdown.
“There are still three scenarios — lifting totally the ECQ, or extend the ECQ for Luzon, or the so-called modified ECQ, depending on the infections in the areas like Quezon City. We still have no recommendation to the President,” said Año.
Government assessment data show there is a high number of cases of infections in Metro Manila, parts of Bulacan, and the Calabarzon region.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the IATF and the President need more time to study and weigh the government’s options. But while this might be the case, Nograles assured the public that the President has no plan to impose martial law, while presidential spokesman Harry Roque said a total lockdown after April 30 is also not being considered.
“(But the President) needs more time basically. So, he returned it to IATF for more extensive discussions, then we’ll come back to him with the output of our continued discussions,” Nograles said.
Sen. Christoper Go told a radio interview on Tuesday that Duterte will make and announce his decision on Thursday on whether the Luzon will be extended again, fully or partially lifted, or modified.
Roque said the President will wait for the IATF recommendations and consider it along with the recommendations of the health experts.
He added there is “almost a consensus” that the ECQ should not be implemented in the whole Luzon.
Nograles said the government is also taking into consideration the World Health Organization warning of a possible spike in the number of COVID-19 positive cases if the lockdown is lifted abruptly and completely.
Nograles said discussions also include the economic aspect like which industries should be opened and the transportation system that operate, and the social factors like what would be done and how government would assist employees from industries and companies that would not be allowed to resume yet.
National Action Plan Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez said it is not yet time for people go back to their old habits of going on drinking sprees, attending cockfights, holding parties and loitering around.
“We cannot rush into normalcy. Kailangan, dahan dahan at calibrated ang ating mga hakbang. (Our action should be slow and calibrated),” said Galvez as he reiterated appeal to the people to remain in their homes.
