Palace: Proposed ‘household lockdown’ expensive, requires more facilities

File photo shows a locked down barnagay in the City of Manila due t rising COVID-19 cases. (Screengrab from Radyo Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday admitted that the suggestion of a lawmaker to enforce lockdowns on households that have at least one COVID-19 positive member is expensive and requires more isolation facilities.

Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo has proposed a “household lockdown” where “all basic needs will be delivered to household members with the assistance of the LGUs [local government units]” if they have a family member who is positive for COVID-19.

Quimbo also suggested that the COVID-positive individual be brought to an isolation facility if isolation would not be possible at home, while the rest of the household members be “presumed COVID-positive” and must be prevented from leaving their residence.

“The problem with reverse isolation is number one, quite frankly, it becomes more expensive because when you isolate them, you have to provide for their meals,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel when pressed for comment on Quimbo’s suggestion.

“Number two, you would need more isolation facilities because there will be more who don’t have symptoms that need to be isolated or taken care of by the government,” he added.

Roque noted that the government is addressing this by utilizing more public schools and hotels as isolation facilities.

Due to the steep increase in new COVID-19 cases, several hospitals have already declared full capacity for COVID-19 patients.  

The enhanced community quarantine implementation over Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna was extended to April 11.

A number of local and national officials, however, lamented that this was not enough and that expanding quarantine facilities and strengthening contact tracing and mass testing must be carried out.

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