MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Friday welcomed a recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey showing that eight out of 10 Filipinos think the strict stay-at-home protocols are needed to protect public heath and contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“President Rodrigo Duterte has, indeed, acted decisively when he imposed an enhanced community quarantine and stringent social distancing measures over the entire Luzon area following the sharp increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
He noted that the decision is “not an easy one” as the government has needs to balance the protection of the health and safety of Filipinos and the economy.
“We thus thank our people for understanding the consequences of this presidential directive,” Roque said.
“Having said this, we are confident that our nation will be on the economic rebound as long as we continue to heed the advice of our authorities that we observe minimum public health standards, such as staying at home, observing proper hygiene, wearing of face mask and maintaining physical and social distancing.”
Conducted last May 4-10 using a mobile phone with 4,010 “working-age Filipinos” as respondents, the SWS survey showed that 84 percent of Filipinos expressed agreement with the coronavirus lockdown.
Meanwhile, 15 percent of respondents who participated said that the quarantine measures “are placing too many burdens on people.”
Duterte placed the entire Luzon under strict lockdown measures in mid-March to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Since then, the government has gradually eased movement restrictions.