Philippines had 'best' preps vs. COVID-19 compared to other countries - Galvez

The enhanced community quarantine imposed by the government in Luzon is paying off in the country's fight against the spread of COVID-19, the chief implementer of the national action plan against the disease said on Thursday after midnight.

Secretary Carlito Galvez described the Philippine response to the virus threat as sterling compared to other countries.

"'Yung ating lockdown ay napakaganda po ng ating nagawa dahil nai-push po ang curve toward one month na delay. It gave us time to improve our medical services," Secretary Carlito Galvez said in a news briefing.

"Napakaganda ng ating preparasyon kumpara sa ibang bansa. Tayo ang  pinakauna na nagkaroon ng tinatawag nating travel ban sa mga bansa na nagkakaroon ng COVID cases at nakita natin na ang ating hard decision is paving the way for the good results that we are having now," he added.

National Task Force COVID-19 spokesman Restituto Padilla earlier said the extension of the Luzon-wide quarantine bought the government enough time to increase the country’s testing capacity, prepare community quarantine facilities, and purchase protective gear for healthcare workers.

Dr. Beverly Ho of the Department of Health, meanwhile, said the extension should be used as a time for slowing down the virus’ transmission and improving the healthcare system “to beat this pandemic.”

Duterte ordered a temporary entry ban on all travelers from mainland China and its Special Administrative Regions on February 2 as the novel coronavirus was gaining ground in the Philippines.

A “community quarantine” came into effect over Metro Manila on March 15 as the Department of Health confirmed 111 COVID-19 cases with eight deaths nationwide.

Two days later, Duterte expanded the quarantine to cover the entire island of Luzon, locking down a third of the entire country.

The Philippines has recorded over 3,800 COVID-19 cases with 182 deaths and 96 recoveries as of Wednesday afternoon, but health authorities said it is too early to assess the effects of the quarantine on COVID-19 transmission. -NB/JST, GMA News