MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has cautioned media on the use of “lockdown” on its reportage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as it may trigger public panic.
The DILG made the appeal on Thursday amid the increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, prompting several government offices to shut down and government officials opting to take self-quarantine measures.
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DILG spokesman Jonathan Malaya explained that the word “lockdown” is only used when people are confined in one area or place and they are barred by authorities from leaving.
“That’s why the word lockdown is usually used in relation to prisoners. So when China declared a lockdown in Wuhan, its citizens are not allowed to leave those cities and the highways were closed. That’s a lockdown,” he said in a statement.
Lockdown is an “extreme measure” that the government could implement in Metro Manila – where a majority of the recorded COVID-19 cases are located – should the Department of Health (DOH) raise a Code Red Sublevel 2, Malaya added.
“But since we don’t have those conditions yet, there is no compelling reason to place any place under lockdown,” he said.
A building or a compound is closed for disinfecting or for other purposes is not a lockdown, the DILG official pointed out, as it only means it is just closed.
“Therefore we should accurately describe it as such. It’s just closed,” Malaya said.
The constant use of the word “lockdown” has compelled people to do panic buying and other unnecessary acts out of fear, he added.
While the DILG and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are ready to implement a lockdown of Metro Manila, the current situation does not warrant such, therefore the word should not be used lightly, Malaya said.