Palace to public: Let’s do our part to avoid 40K Covid-19 cases

FILE: Passengers observe safe physical distancing while aboard a modern jeepney plying the Roces-Cubao (Diamond) route along Panay Avenue in Quezon City on Monday (June 22, 2020). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday dared the public to help the government prevent from happening the prediction of researchers from the University of the Philippines (UP) that the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections in the country could rise by 40,000 by the end of June.

In a virtual presser aired on state-run PTV-4, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque maintained that the further spread of Covid-19 could be prevented by heeding the government’s call on all Filipinos to stay home, observe physical distancing, and practice regular hand washing and use of disinfectants.

“The challenge, mga kababayan (my countrymen), let us disprove the prediction of UP na magiging 40,000 (that it could reach 40,000),” Roque said. “Huwag po sana nating payagan na umabot ng 40,000 pagtapos ng buwan ng Hunyo. Challenge po iyan (Let’s do our part to ensure that it would not reach 40,000 by the end of June. It’s a challenge). I hope everyone will accept this challenge.”

On Monday, the Philippines logged 630 more cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of Covid-19 infections to 30,682.

About 467 of the 630 Covid-19 cases are “fresh” cases while the remaining 163 are “late” cases.

The UP research team earlier warned that the total number of Covid-19 infections in the Philippines could reach 40,000 by the end of June.

The team’s projection was based on current trends in Covid-19 data in the country.

No new normal

Roque expressed hope that the UP researchers’ forecast would not happen.

As part of the government’s efforts to combat Covid-19, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has recalibrated the current parameters, which include the case doubling time and critical care utilization rate, for risk classification of areas in the country, he said.

Roque noted that the quarantine classification in high-risk areas would be enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ (MECQ), while the general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ (MGCQ) would be implemented in moderate-risk areas.

He said MECQ in high-risk areas and MGCQ in moderate-risk areas would be imposed if there are “modifiers” — social, economic, and security factors; clustering of cases; health system capacity; and continuous trend or increasing or decreasing new cases, critical care utilization rate, and case doubling time.

Roque noted that MGCQ would be implemented in low-risk areas.

He said the recalibration of the current parameters means that there would be no “new normal.”

Roque, however, clarified that the IATF-EID’s removal of the “new normal” classification is “not permanent.”

“Wala munang ‘new normal.’ Ibig sabihin, lahat ng lugar sa Pilipinas, meron pa rin pong community quarantine. Iyan po yung pinakapagbabago sa inaprubang parameters (For now, there is no ‘new normal.’ Meaning, all places in the Philippines are still under community quarantine. That’s the latest development in the approved parameters),” he explained.

Avoiding a second wave

Roque said the government is trying to avoid the possibility that there might be a second wave of Covid-19 infections in the country.

He made the remarks as he noted that the country could not afford a new wave of Covid-19 cases.

“Iyan ang iniiwasan natin (That’s what we are trying to avoid),” Roque said.

He cited the need for public cooperation to stop the further transmission of Covid-19.

“Kaya mga kababayan, kinakailangan po natin ang kooperasyon ninyo (To our fellow countrymen, we really need your cooperation),” Roque said.