Sotto: ‘Lockdown should be last option’
MANILA, Philippines — Imposing localized lockdown should be the “last option” as government offices must remain operational as the number of confirmed cases of the 2019 coronavirus disease continue to increase in the Philippines, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Thursday.
“The Filipino people need their government at this time when their welfare is at risk. They expect government leaders to be on the lookout for them,” the senator said in a statement.
“A lockdown should be the last option,” he added.
The Senate President also noted that government offices should continue but must follow strict health protocols against the coronavirus disease.
Currently, the country is under Code Red Sub-Level 1 which allows heightened surveillance for people with respiratory symptoms, intensified contact tracing and stricter home quarantine. It was raised to this alert level after the Philippine health department recorded the first local transmission from the wife of the fifth confirmed case of coronavirus disease.
Lockdown will be imposed if Code Red Sub-Level 2 will be raised. The alert level will be implemented if there is sustained community transmission in the country.
To date, The Department of Health reported 49 cases of coronavirus disease in the Philippines. Of which, there are already two fatalities.
The coronavirus disease was caused by the novel coronavirus, which was first emerged from Wuhan City of Hubei province in China.
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.
The coronavirus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but old people and those who have existing health conditions could be a high risk for the disease.
Coronavirus is a family of viruses, which surfaces have a crown-like appearance. The viruses are named for the spikes on their surfaces.
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