Taguig threatens new lockdown over secret parties, other violations

MANILA, Philippines — Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano threatened to place the city under a stricter lockdown after some residents and businesses were reported to have disregarded health and safety protocols.

In a statement yesterday, he noted the reports reaching his office last Friday about the alleged neglect of orders against social gatherings and parties with multiple households. It also cited overcapacity in restaurants, bars that operate in secret and unregulated playing of contact sports like basketball.

Cayetano said that due to these reckless acts, “we may be facing a new lockdown and quarantine  restrictions soon” to prevent a surge in COVID-19 infections.

“I hope these establishments and citizens realize that their reckless behavior will bring us closer to another spike in our cases and a possible lockdown that would harm both our public health system and our economy that we have been working so hard to rebuild,” he added.

After implementing a massive lockdown in Metro Manila and parts of the country from March to June, the city government enforced the same lockdown at a construction site at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) and at neighborhoods in Barangay Lower Bicutan.

Almost 400 construction workers at that BGC site caught the virus. At least 300 of them were infected within only a week’s time. Barangay Fort Bonifacio currently has the highest tally of active cases.

Cayetano reminded city residents and establishments to continue practicing minimum public health standards like wearing face mask and face shield, physical distancing, frequent handwashing and avoiding overcrowding.

As of Friday, the city government recorded a total of 10,266 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 10,077 have already recovered, 122 died and 67 still being treated or isolated.

It has also conducted 89,289 COVID-19 swab tests.

Daily attack rate

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the government might also consider reverting some areas in the country back to the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in January next year if the country’s number of COVID-19 cases exceeds 2,000 per day.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will need to review the numbers during their next meetings in the run-up to the new year before reaching a decision, he added.

“It’s really the daily attack rate, the two week-average attack rate and critical care capacity that will determine,” Roque said when asked on the possibility of the country being placed under ECQ by the new year.

The daily attack rate refers to the proportion of people who become ill with or die from a population initially free from the disease.

As of Friday, reports have quoted the latest survey of the OCTA Research Group which showed that the reproduction number for COVID-19 in the National Capital Region has reached 1.9 or some 700 new cases.

The OCTA experts have expressed fears that if this is left unabated, this could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases in NCR over the holidays.

Metro Manila, Batangas, Iloilo City, Tacloban City, Lanao del Sur, Iligan City and Davao City are under general community quarantine (GCQ). The IATF has placed Isabela province, except Santiago City, under GCQ since Dec. 15 until Dec. 30.

At the Laging Handa briefing yesterday, National Action Plan against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez urged certain groups not to cause alarm because the local government units have been working hard to make sure that their constituents follow the health control mechanisms.

He said he has looked at the numbers and it appears to have not increased.

“Let us not be alarmed. We really need to implement the health standards and we have imposed some restraints, particularly on celebrations… Let us not go to crowded places and those we call as confined spaces and (avoid) close contacts,” Galvez said in Filipino.

Early this week, President Duterte warned the public of a possible surge in cases due to the upcoming Christmas holidays when many Filipinos are expected to hold reunions and parties.

Interior and Local Government Sec. Eduardo Año did not discount the possibility of imposing stricter quarantines if the public will be complacent in the observance of health protocols.

Health experts have expressed concern over the relaxed enforcement of quarantine guidelines in the recent weeks due to the re-opening of the economy. – Christina Mendez