Lockdowns only work with mass testing, Makabayan bloc insists

MANILA, Philippines – They might be starting to sound like a broken record, but lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc still echo the same call since the COVID-19 lockdowns started: Mass testing is necessary.

Neither the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ nor general community quarantine (GCQ) would achieve their goal of flattening the infection curve without mass testing, Makabayan said a statement issued on Tuesday.

The bloc released the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte approved proposals to extend the ECQ over Metro Manila, Laguna, and Cebu City.

The bloc urged executive branch, particularly the Department of Health (DOH), to step up its testing efforts as the current number of tested individuals did not even represent 1% of the total population.

“Does not the administration get it that without true mass testings, pro-active contact tracing, and protecting our health workers, no amount of lockdown can solve the pandemic?” the Makabayan statement said.

“The government should be reminded that the community quarantine was set up to buy enough time to prepare our health sector in combating the pandemic. The Filipinos are suffering for a very long time due to the strict implementation of the enhanced community quarantine and slow implementation of the Social Amelioration Program,” it added.

Duterte on Tuesday gave the thumbs up to the suggestion of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) that moderate-risk areas should be put under the GCQ and that low-risk areas should have quarantine measures lifted.

However, the Makabayan bloc sees the latest extension of the ECQ over Metro Manila as a sign of a slow-paced response — given that it has been almost two months since the lockdowns were first placed.

Previously, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque admitted that the government missed out on its April 30 goal of having 8,000 tests per day.

According to DOH data on May 10, a total of 173,352 individuals have been tested for possible coronavirus infection, with 15,002 initially testing positive.

Lawmakers said that the government must focus on mass testing, contact tracing of people who came into contact with coronavirus-infected patients, and protection of health workers, especially as 2,067 healthcare professionals had contracted the disease.

This represents 18.21% — or 11,350 — of all the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country — significantly higher than the 2% to 3% percent infection rates among health workers in the rest of the Western Pacific countries, according to the World Health Organization.

“The current report is silent on DOH’s contact tracing efforts. In the previous report, only 32,107 cumulative close contacts from 7,906 cumulative cases were traced,” Makabayan said.

The Makabayan bloc is composed of Bayan Muna party-list Reps. Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite, and Eufemia Cullamat; ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan party-list Rep. Sarah Elago.

Earlier, activist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan made the same call, urging the government not to spoil the newest 15-day ECQ extension.

As of now, no concrete evidence shows that the Philippines is flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases.  The difference between Tuesday and Monday’s cases was 264, well within the average number of cases in the past month.

Of the latest 11,350 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 751 deaths and 2,106 recoveries were registered.

Worldwide, over 4.190 million persons have been infected, 286,456 of whom have died while 1.469 million have recovered.

/atm