Duque says pandemic response based on granular COVID-19 data

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday said the government’s pandemic response is based on granular COVID-19 data after the World Health Organization (WHO) urged caution in classifying the country as a low-risk area.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Duque explained that while the entire Philippines has been classified as a low-risk area for COVID-19, authorities still closely monitor the pandemic situation on the ground. 

“Hindi mo puwedeng gamiting batayan ‘yung national risk classification para doon sa mga localized situation kasi hiwalay naman… We treat it separately from the national,” he said.

(You can’t use the national risk classification for localized situations because those are two different things… We treat it separately from the national.)

Duque said this is the reason why lockdown restrictions vary from one area to another. 

“Ayaw naman natin hangga't sa maaari na magluwag nang basta basta kaya dapat may malinaw na batayan,” he said.

(We don’t want to, as much as possible, loosen restrictions randomly that’s why there must be a clear basis.)

Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO country representative to the Philippines, earlier urged the Department of Health (DOH) to exercise caution when making risk classifications to keep the public aware of the risk of COVID-19. 

Duque previously said the low-risk classification of the Philippines does not mean that the country is “out of the woods.” 

The DOH, meanwhile, said the latest classification must not lead to complacency against COVID-19. —KBK, GMA News