A policeman (R) monitors people at the entrance to a neighbourhood under strict quarantine measures in Pasay City, suburban Manila, on March 16, 2021, as the number of new daily cases of Covid-19 coronavirus has surged to the highest level in seven months. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be on “autopilot” with no one in charge, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Monday.
On Twitter, the senator lamented that the “coronavirus has gone berserk.”
“While it is on ‘at-will’ mode, we are like on autopilot. We can’t feel someone is in charge. Sobrang malas! [So unlucky!]” Lacson tweeted.
The coronavirus has gone berserk. While it is on ‘at-will’ mode, we are like, on autopilot. We can’t feel someone is in charge. Sobrang malas!
— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) April 4, 2021
On Sunday, the Philippines logged 11,028 additional COVID-19 cases, pushing the total of active cases in the country to 135,526 with the capacity of hospitals in key regions to cater to patients reaching full capacity.
The Philippines’ overall tally of confirmed cases is now at 795,051.
The country has been recording record-high new cases in the past days, with the highest single-increase at 15,310 new infections reported last April 2.
More than a year into the pandemic, the government has also imposed the tightest lockdown in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces due to the surge of COVID-19 cases.
The government enforced the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for a week starting Mar. 29 to April 4.
It was, however, extended for at least another week.