MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang appealed to the public on Monday to refrain from panic-buying despite the reimposition of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila and other provinces.
In an online briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque assured that there are enough supplies in supermarkets and that MECQ was only imposed to heed the call of medical frontliners.
“Well, mga kababayan, wala pong dahilan para po tayo ay mag panic-buying,” Roque said.
(To our countrymen, there is no reason for us to resort to panic-buying.)
“Unang una,ito pong pagsara natin muli, ito’y katugunan natin doon sa kahilingan ng ating mga frontliners na kinakailangan lang nila ng break. Ibig-sabihin po wala talaga tayong planong mag-lockdown. Ang ating supply po’y napakataas,” he assured.
(First of all, the closure is our answer to the request of our frontliners who need a break. We really don’t have a plan to declare a lockdown. Our supply is really high.)
Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, and Cavite will be under MECQ starting August 4 until August 18. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1315204/medical-frontliners-to-govt-time-out-revert-metro-manila-back-to-ecq
Under MECQ, going out will only be limited to accessing essentials like food and medicine. Establishments that may remain open are limited to supermarkets, banks, and hospitals.
This, after medical frontliners called for a “time out” as cases of COVID-19 surge and to “refine” the pandemic response.
“This is primarily to accede to the demand of the frontliners for a break. A time out. Pagsasamantalahan lang po ng gobyerno ang time out para mas mapaigting pa po yung ating testing, tracing and treatment,” Roque said.
(This is primarily to accede to the demand of the frontliners for a break. A time out. The government will take advantage of this time to strengthen our testing, tracing, and treatment.)
As of Sunday, the Philippines recorded 103,185 COVID-19 cases, with 2,059 deaths and 65,557 recoveries. #