Philippines may revert to stricter quarantine if new cases reach 4K daily —expert

The Philippines may need to return to stricter quarantine classification to control the spread of COVID-19 as cases are feared to skyrocket after the holiday season, an official of the Philippine College of Physicians said on Saturday.

In an interview on Dobol Ba sa News TV on Saturday, Philippine College of Physicians vice president Dr. Maricar Limpin said the doctors’ group agreed with the Department of Health (DOH) and OCTA Research team’s projection that COVID-19 cases may reach 4,000 daily. 

“We agreed to it na maaring tumaas nga. Maaring pumalo ng 4,000. Nakikita namin ito na mangyayari dahil sa mga nakaraang linggo nakita rin naman kung paano karami [ang mga tao] at hindi nasunod ang health protocols lalo na ‘yung physical distancing,” Limpin said, noting her observations during the holidays.

With this, she said, “We need to tighten up a little ‘yung quarantine measures na pinapatupad ngayon.”

“Sa ngayon nasa GCQ (general community quarantine) tayo. Maaring kailangang medyo higpitan nang konti, siguro MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) para lang po masiguro natin na hindi na dumami pa muli ang mga kaso ng COVID-19 natin,” she added.

Metro Manila, Batangas, Iloilo City, Tacloban, Iligan, Lanao del Sur, Davao City and Isabela are currently under GCQ until the end of the year, while the rest of the country is under modified GCQ.

As for the possibility of the return to stricter quarantine level after the holidays, Limpin said it should be for two weeks “like last time.”

To recall, the government reverted Metro Manila and other high-risk areas to MECQ from August 4 to 18 after medical frontliners pleaded for a “time out” due to rising number of COVID-19 cases being admitted to health facilities.

“Siguro two weeks para medyo lang maano natin sa mga tao na kailangan bumalik tayo sa standards natin, kasi nakakalimot ang mga tao. Akala nila sa Pasko ay safe na para tayo magsama-sama muli,” she said.

“Hanggang sa ngayon alalahanin natin na nasa pandemiya tayo at hindi pa completely na-eradicate natin ang COVID-19 na ito,” she added.

In a separate interview, Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said the DOH has not yet released any recommendation concerning the possible return to stricter quarantine measure.

“Sa ngayon, wala pang nilalabas ang DOH tungkol diyan,” he said, noting that the Health department is still evaluating data to come up with an appropriate recommendation.

At the Laging Handa public briefing on Saturday, DOH spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) will have its meeting over the weekend to discuss whether the country should return to a stricter quarantine classification.

"'Yan po ay isa naman sa mga pinag-aaralan natin buwan-buwan, depende sa numero ng kaso at depende sa kapasidad ng ating health system. We have a scientific process that we undertake every month so we can determine the risk classification of our country and the specific areas in our country," Vergeire said.

Nevertheless, Limpin said healthcare facilities can handle the rise in COVID-19 cases.

“Kaya naman po. In fact, marami naman ang nag-open na mga quarantine facilities. We are happy sa naging response ng government natin, particularly sa mga local government units. Marami ang nag-open na mga quarantine facilities na puwedeng puntahan ng mga mamamayang Pilipino,” she said.

“Dito sa mga ospital handa kaming tignan ang lahat at mag-respond sa mga Pilipino na magkakaroon ng COVIID-19,” she added.

The rise in COVID-19 cases in the Philippines due to increased interactions during the holiday season would be noticeable in the first two weeks of January, OCTA Research fellow Ranjit Rye said Thursday.

"Hindi na if 'yan [pagtaas] eh, but a question of when and how much. Siguradong tataas po. Wala nang kaduda-duda," Rye said.

Members of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 gave the assurance the government is prepared for a possible surge of COVID-19 cases.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines reached 467,601 on Friday, the DOH said.

Of this number, 430,791 recovered while 9,062 died. —With a report from Jamil Santos/KG, GMA News