Año: Extending lockdown necessary to flatten the curve of COVID-19
Published Apr 9, 2020 12:00 am
By Chito Chavez
Amid the grumbling of some poor sectors, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday reiterated that the April 30 extension of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is part of the government’s effort to flatten the curve of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) transmission in the country.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año (PCOO/ MANILA BULLETIN)
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año stressed that the government wanted to restore everything to normalcy but it cannot risk further the transmission of the virus.
Stressing it to be the inevitable course of action, Año said the government and the citizens are left with no other choice but to bite the bullet under this extreme critical situation where public health and welfare is at stake.
People mostly from the depressed areas had grumbled that the extension of the lockdown to April 30 has put them further deeper in a financial hole.
“Walang diskarte kahit barya. Di ka makakalabas. Walang masakyan. Ang tulong bukod sa hindi sapat ay ang tagal pang dumating (No way to find a means to earn even loose change. You cannot go out with no public transportation. The aid coming from the government is insufficient and delivered late),” Manta Santos of Barangay Botocan in Quezon City said.
Santos also feared that public turmoil is very likely if the lockdown is extended again.
With the surging COVID-19 cases in the country, Santos said it is very possible the ECQ will be prolonged further.
He also admitted feeling “kabado (uneasy)” when the President announced that the government is running out of money to provide financial, food, and non-food assistance if the crisis lasts longer.
“Gaya ng nangyayari sa ibang bansa, baka magkaroon ng kaguluhan dahil nagugutom na ang mga tao (Like what happened in other countries, chaos may erupt since people are getting hungry),” Santos said.
Santos revealed that he earns a minimum of P300 per day doing off jobs like being a passenger jeepney barker, parking attendant, and construction worker.
But Año explained that the premature lifting of the ECQ in a time when COVID-19 cases are fluctuating is a gamble that the government is not willing to take.
He added that the models from the government and the private sector show that an extension of two weeks would “flatten the curve” and ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic is contained.
As the lockdown remains in effect, Año urged the local government units (LGUs) to lawfully carry out the directives of the national government while expecting them to be creative in legally addressing specific concerns of their constituents.
In dealing with the extended quarantine, Año prodded the LGUs to ensure that the assistance to the poor families are properly distributed and that food, medical and other supplies are not hampered in the next few weeks leading to April 30.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año (PCOO/ MANILA BULLETIN)
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año stressed that the government wanted to restore everything to normalcy but it cannot risk further the transmission of the virus.
Stressing it to be the inevitable course of action, Año said the government and the citizens are left with no other choice but to bite the bullet under this extreme critical situation where public health and welfare is at stake.
People mostly from the depressed areas had grumbled that the extension of the lockdown to April 30 has put them further deeper in a financial hole.
“Walang diskarte kahit barya. Di ka makakalabas. Walang masakyan. Ang tulong bukod sa hindi sapat ay ang tagal pang dumating (No way to find a means to earn even loose change. You cannot go out with no public transportation. The aid coming from the government is insufficient and delivered late),” Manta Santos of Barangay Botocan in Quezon City said.
Santos also feared that public turmoil is very likely if the lockdown is extended again.
With the surging COVID-19 cases in the country, Santos said it is very possible the ECQ will be prolonged further.
He also admitted feeling “kabado (uneasy)” when the President announced that the government is running out of money to provide financial, food, and non-food assistance if the crisis lasts longer.
“Gaya ng nangyayari sa ibang bansa, baka magkaroon ng kaguluhan dahil nagugutom na ang mga tao (Like what happened in other countries, chaos may erupt since people are getting hungry),” Santos said.
Santos revealed that he earns a minimum of P300 per day doing off jobs like being a passenger jeepney barker, parking attendant, and construction worker.
But Año explained that the premature lifting of the ECQ in a time when COVID-19 cases are fluctuating is a gamble that the government is not willing to take.
He added that the models from the government and the private sector show that an extension of two weeks would “flatten the curve” and ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic is contained.
As the lockdown remains in effect, Año urged the local government units (LGUs) to lawfully carry out the directives of the national government while expecting them to be creative in legally addressing specific concerns of their constituents.
In dealing with the extended quarantine, Año prodded the LGUs to ensure that the assistance to the poor families are properly distributed and that food, medical and other supplies are not hampered in the next few weeks leading to April 30.