FILE PHOTO: Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar. INQUIRER FILES / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has asserted its readiness to enforce whatever quarantine restriction is required to avert possible spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the implementation of quarantine controls is not anymore new to the police force since they have been tasked time and again by the national government to ensure people’s obedience to protocols since the pandemic hit the country last year.
No official word yet on a strict and wide lockdown from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), but several Metro Manila local government units like the cities of Manila and Marikina have already expressed their willingness to set measures to prevent the Delta variant transmission in their respective jurisdictions.
“Hindi na bago sa PNP ang anumang uri ng quarantine restrictions kaya makaka-asa ang lahat ng aming kahandaan kung anuman ang ipag-utos ng ating IATF at ng mga local government units,” Eleazar said in a video message uploaded in the PNP’s Facebook page on Thursday.
(It is not anymore new for the PNP to implement whatever quarantine restriction is needed, that’s why everyone can expect our readiness regarding any possible order from the IATF and local government units.)
Still, Eleazar believes that there may be no need for more stringent measures if the public would continuously and tirelessly adhere to health protocols against COVID-19.
“Subalit naniniwala ako na hindi na aabot pa sa anumang klaseng paghihigpit kung isasapuso lang ng ating mga kababayan ang pangangalaga sa kanilang personal na kaligtasan sa gitna ng patuloy na banta ng COVID-19 lalo na ngayon na patuloy na tumataas ang mga kaso ng Delta variant nito,” he explained.
(But I believe that we would not need to place more stringent measures if we would remember by heart to take care of our personal health amid the continuous threat of COVID-19 especially that Delta variant cases are on the rise.)
“Ganunpaman, patuloy na ginagawa ng ating kapulisan ang aming tungkulin na ipatupad ang mga alituntunin para sa proteksyon ng lahat,” he added.
(Still, the police force would continue to do its duty to enforce health regulations and protocols to ensure everybody is safe.)
On Wednesday, Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso assured his constituents that they have already prepared for the worst-case scenario of resorting to lockdowns due to risks posed by the Delta variant.
This came a day after he expressed fears about the variant already spreading undetected in Metro Manila.
READ: Manila prepares for possible lockdown to check Delta variant spread
Earlier, Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro also made an announcement that they are doing everything they can to prevent the Delta variant from entering the city.
Currently, the city has not yet recorded a single COVID-19 Delta variant case.
The Delta variant has been dreaded by governments worldwide due to reports that it is 60 percent more transmissible compared to the COVID-19 Alpha variant — which is already 60 percent more contagious than the original coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that was first detected in China’s Wuhan City in late 2019.
The Alpha and Delta variants are just among a number of SARS-CoV-2 variants that came about due to the coronavirus’ mutations. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes the potentially deadly respiratory illness COVID-19.
On Thursday, the Department of Health (DOH) said the Philippines so far detected a total of 216 Delta variant cases.
READ: Delta variant cases almost doubled overnight to 216, with 97 new cases — DOH
First discovered in India, the Delta variant has been blamed for the record-breaking surges in the South Asian country during the second quarter of 2021. The Delta variant is likewise being faulted for soaring COVID-19 cases in Indonesia.
READ: Indonesia bracing for worsening COVID-19 outbreak
READ: Delta variant puts brakes on return to post-COVID normality