MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday said that some countries are faring better in the fight against the COVID-19 because they did not wait for the crisis to worsen.
Robredo explained in a radio interview on Wednesday that countries such as New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and South Korea — hailed for their timely response to the health crisis — did not allow the coronavirus infections to gain traction.
The Vice President was answering questions on why the Philippines is not capable of balancing the economic and health problems of the country, amid a recession due to COVID-19 lockdowns.
“Iyon iyong nakakalungkot kasi nakikita natin, halimbawa iyong Taiwan […] madali nilang na-contain iyong virus spread na hindi naman sila nag-quarantine, hindi sila nag-lockdown. Halimbawa Vietnam […] nag-close sila ng borders pero hindi naman sila nag-total lockdown,” Robredo told Aksyon Radyo Cebu.
“Iyong lessons doon, iyong bilis ng paggalaw ng pamahalaan […] talagang hindi nila hinintay na lumala iyong sitwasyon. Iyong very first instance may ginawa na kaagad,” she added.
According to Robredo, it is important for the country to quickly solve the rising coronavirus cases so that the economy could recover — like in Cebu City, where quicker measures could translate to an earlier lifting of its enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status.
Cebu is the only area in the country that is still under ECQ due to the spike in infections in the city. Robredo said if the public health crisis is effectively addressed faster, then industries could resume their businesses earlier and layoffs would be prevented, sparing the economy to become worse.
“Kaya iyong sa atin, the sooner na ma-manage natin itong COVID crisis, the better for us, kasi lalong tumatagal na hindi natin nama-manage na maayos, lalong tumatagal din iyong ECQ —halimbawa sa Cebu naka-ECQ pa din kayo — lalong nae-endanger iyong mga trabaho saka pinagkukunan ng hanapbuhay ng ating mga kababayan,” she noted.
“Iyon iyong nakakatakot isipin, na siguro ngayon hindi pa natin nararamdaman iyong full impact, pero siguro third quarter of the year, magsisimula na talagang maramdaman,” she added.
Recently, Taiwan has launched a website to share its experiences in fighting COVID-19 — a response that was used as a yardstick by other governments since Taiwan is geographically close to mainland China, the origin of the latest coronavirus strain.
Then New Zealand has reportedly eradicated the virus after all patients have recovered from the disease, although cases still appeared afterward albeit in a sporadic manner.
KGA
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