Public vigilance urged despite experts’ forecast to flatten curve

FILE: Residents of Bacoor, Cavite queue up to get the second tranche of the subsidy for low-income households under the government’s social amelioration program (SAP) on Tuesday (Aug. 4, 2020). (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

MANILA – As medical experts projected flattening the curve in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) early next month, the Joint Task Force Covid Shield urged the public to help realize and expedite the forecast by strictly following the quarantine protocols.

“Just because there is a positive forecast like this does not mean that we should be complacent already.

How we achieve this projection still depends on us by being mindful of our safety, by respecting the government’s measures to protect public health,” JTF Covid Shield commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said in a statement Saturday.

A research group from the University of the Philippines said there is a big chance that the Covid-19 curve may flatten due to the observed decline in the number of infections in the past days.

The group added that once the curve starts to flatten, it will take one to two months before the infection rate is reduced to the manageable level.

Eleazar said the PNP under outgoing chief Gen. Archie Gamboa will continue doing its best to make sure that the people will strictly observe quarantine protocols.

“We will continue doing our best to fulfill our mandate of enforcing the quarantine rules to contain the spread of the virus and eventually win the fight and repel the invasion of the coronavirus,” he said.

Eleazar echoed the medical experts’ observation recognizing the positive effects of the community quarantine measures implemented by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte since March 17.

He said had the government not resorted to strict lockdowns, Eleazar said the Philippines would have been included in the list of countries with millions of infected people.

During the community quarantine period implementation, the government deployed more soldiers and police commands in areas with high infection rate to strictly enforce lockdown restrictions.

“The battle is not yet over. For as long as a vaccine is not yet made available for mass immunization, we urge all our kababayan to continue maintaining vigilance and strictly observe the quarantine rules not only to protect themselves and their family but also as their contribution for the nation to heal as one,” said Eleazar.