Government eyes flattening of curve by end of month

MANILA, Philippines — National Task Force on COVID chairman Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana bared that the government is looking to flatten or taper off the coronavirus transmission curve by the end of the month to shift major cities to the most lenient community quarantine level.

Lorenzana said they want most of the country to shift to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) by November in a bid to open up the economy.

“Our objective for this month is to flatten or lower the curve by the end of September so we can go to MGCQ and ease the life of the people,” he said in Filipino.

Lorenzana presided over a meeting of the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) Team in Caloocan City yesterday.

He said the government is now focusing on contact tracing efforts, as he admitted that this was one of the lapses in the COVID-19 response.

At least 50,000 contact tracers would be hired this month by the Department of the Interior and Local Government to be deployed nationwide.

“If it’s no longer needed we will stop hiring but as of now the task force sees the need for many contact tracers. There’s a big lack in contact tracing,” Lorenzana said.

He emphasized the importance of barangay officials as the real frontliners in ensuring that the public observes quarantine protocols.

He also stressed that the public needs to do their part to follow minimum health standards, such as wearing of face mask, social distancing and hygiene to stave off the transmission of the novel coronavirus.

“Our aim is to educate our people that to successfully fight this COVID, we need the cooperation of everybody, not just the mayor or barangay,” he added.