Palace: Metro back to lockdown if cases still surging by end-July

The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday reported nearly 2,500 additional coronavirus infections, more than 1,800 of them in Metro Manila, a day after Malacañang warned that the metropolis would be placed back on lockdown if the surge in COVID-19 cases had not abated by the end of July.

The 2,498 additional cases brought the national tally to 61,266.

Of the new infections, 1,886 were in Metro Manila, where President Duterte kept general community quarantine restrictions in place on Tuesday after the 17 mayors in the region committed to enforce targeted lockdowns and impose a common ordinance that would penalize violations of minimum public health standards.

‘Real’ possibility of lockdown

The DOH reported that 467 more patients had recovered, raising the number of COVID-19 survivors to 21,440, and that 29 other patients had died, pushing the death toll to 1,643. The recoveries and deaths left 38,183 active cases.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque warned of a real possibility that Metro Manila would be reverted to modified enhanced community quarantine as it had reached “dangerous levels” in intensive care capacity.

The large hospitals in the metropolis had been reporting nearing or actually reaching COVID-19 capacity in recent days after being hit by a surge in infections that followed relaxation of restrictions on commerce and social life in a phased exit from lockdown imposed in March to halt the spread of the new coronavirus in the Philippines.

Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte had actually agreed to a proposal by University of the Philippines professors to revert Metro Manila to modified enhanced community quarantine, but Carlito Galvez Jr., chief of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año appealed on behalf of the mayors who earlier recommended maintaining the current quarantine level for the next two weeks but with stricter enforcement of restrictions and public health measures.

“The two argued that Metro Manila should be given a chance, because everyone knows that majority of our gross domestic product still comes from Metro Manila, and at this point it’s important to open up the economy,” Roque said.

“The two had to argue passionately. Basically they were saying, give Metro Manila mayors the opportunity to show exactly what they can do by way of localized lockdowns and by way of achieving behavioral change so that their constituents will actually practice the holy trinity of masks, washing of hands, and social distancing,” he said.

Two-week ‘test’

Roque said Mr. Duterte reconsidered his position and approved the recommendation of the government’s coronavirus response task force to maintain the current quarantine level in Metro Manila but with “more intensified implementation” of public health measures.

“We are given two weeks in our test. I hope the mayors will do their best and the people will do their best, particularly in the nonpharmacological solutions to the disease,” he said.

Roque noted that the COVID-19 case doubling rate in Metro Manila remained constant at seven to nine days but the intensive care use rate also stayed high.

“We were unable to lengthen the [case doubling rate] so we can’t move on from [general community quarantine]. So that’s not bad, that’s the truth if we will base it on the case doubling rate, even if our ICU bed utilization is high. But of course if we can achieve zero transmission, why not?” he said.

In Luzon, besides Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal are also under general community quarantine up to July 31.

Under the same quarantine level in the Visayas are Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay, Minglanilla, and Concepcion towns in Cebu province; Southern Leyte and Ormoc City.

In Mindanao, also under general community quarantine are Zamboanga City, Agusan del Norte, Butuan City and Basilan.

Cebu City was shifted to modified enhanced community quarantine from stringent lockdown after an easing of infections there.