Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez. (File photo by YANCY LIM / Presidential Photographers Division)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is not keen on pushing for the return of the country to stricter quarantine measures as protocols are already in place to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez added that the increasing cases of COVID-19 being recorded is due to the ramped up testing being done by the government.
“Hindi po [No],” Lopez said in an interview over Teleradyo when asked if he would recommend returning to stricter quarantine measures.
“Dahil po ang sagot po natin dyan ay yun pong pagtaas ng bilang, talagang tinaasan yung number ng tinetest. Tumaas yung testing capacity natin kaya ho tumataas talaga yung bilang. Siguro tignan din natin yung trend sa mga namamatay, kumokonti naman po,” he said.
(Our answer to the rising cases is the increasing tests being conducted and our ramped up testing capacity. Perhaps we can look at the trend of decreasing fatalities being recorded.)
Health protocols like frequent handwashing, scanning temperature and wearing of masks are also being followed by businesses, which were allowed to resume partial operations, Lopez noted.
The quarantine measures in place are set to lapse on Friday, July 31.
Most areas, including Metro Manila, are already in general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ. Only Cebu City is under a strict lockdown or modified enhanced community quarantine.
“Hindi po kailangan isara yung buong city or yung buong lugar kasi po mamamatay na po talaga yung ekonomiya kapag pinagpatuloy pa ulit. May mga paraan po tayo ngayon na community and surgical yung ating paglolockdown,” Lopez said.
(An entire city or area need not be closed because the economy will really die. We have ways today where only a community or certain areas are being placed on lockdown.)
The Philippines has so far recorded 82,040 COVID-19 infections with 1,945 deaths and 26,446 recoveries.