Celebrities took their reactions to social media about the government’s decision to lift the extended enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and other parts of the country on May 15.
This means that public transportation, including buses, jeepneys, PUVs, and trains, is expected to resume operations on May 16.
But, considering there are only a few days before the ECQ will be lifted, the government still hasn’t undergone mass testing. Worse, COVID-19 cases continue to rise every day. As of May 8, Friday, the total number of positive cases in the country spiked to 10,463 where 1,734 have already recovered, and death tolls climbed to 696.
The Philippines, despite its utmost effort to “flatten the curve”, is still not doing any good compared to other countries.
According to the data of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as of May 4, the Philippines is among the 29 countries that need to take action.
On Twitter, Robi Domingo wrote: “Hmmm… so what will happen after May 15?” alongside a graph showing the comparisons between the Philippines and other Asian countries with regard to the number of daily cases. Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam are among the “winning” countries that are somehow beating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hmmm… so what will happen after May 15? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ge4BoqDFNU
— Robi Domingo (@robertmarion) May 8, 2020
His tweet was reposted by Kapuso artist Winwyn Marquez.
Kapamilya host MJ Felipe, on the other hand, strongly disagreed with the government’s plan of lifting the ECQ on May 15 because “We are not flattening the curve. “
Furthermore, Felipe stressed the urgency in conducting mass testing, contact tracing, and immediate isolation of identified asymptomatic patients to prevent the viral disease from spreading further.
We are not flattening the curve. Lifting the ECQ on the 15th will be a wrong move and will just infect more people. We really have to ramp up our mass testing, contact tracing and quarantine for asymptomatics.
— MJ Felipe (@mjfelipe) May 7, 2020
But the chance of extending the already extended enhanced community quarantine is not far from possible as Metro’s top policymaking body plans to discuss the possibility of extending the lockdown in all 17 cities and the remaining municipality until June 15.
According to Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, who is also the chair of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) composed of the 17 chief executives in the National Capital Region (NCR), they stand to support the new extension of ECQ if the health situation in NCR is of “still dangerous magnitude” rather than lifting it early just to suffer from its consequences.
Dr. Winlove Mojica, a dermatologist, likely supports the idea of extending the ECQ “until the virus is starved of a host.”
On Twitter, she posted, “Only with a vaccine can we really go out w/o fear from getting COVID-19. Govt [should] give us food during ECQ. Remember, about 12M people in NCR and no mass testing. Bodies will pile up.”
From a medical standpoint: extend the ECQ until the virus is starved of a host. Only with a vaccine can we really go out w/o fear from getting COVID-19. Govt shld give us food during ECQ. Remember, about 12M people in NCR and no mass testing. Bodies will pile up. https://t.co/arpEOt5naH
— Winlove Mojica, MD (@theskinsensei) May 6, 2020
However, Kapuso star Inah de Belen did not like the idea of extending the ECQ again as she believes that doing so will not help the situation to get better if the government is so lazy to conduct mass testing which should have already been done before.
“ANONG MAACHIEVE NIYO SA 15 DAY EXTENSION PA IF WE ALREADY HAD 2 EXTENSIONS OF THE LOCKDOWN AND WALA PARING INCREASED MASS TESTING NA NANGYAYARI,” the 28-year-old Kapuso wrote.
ANONG MAACHIEVE NIYO SA 15 DAY EXTENSION PA IF WE ALREADY HAD 2 EXTENSIONS OF THE LOCKDOWN AND WALA PARING INCREASED MASS TESTING NA NANGYAYARI https://t.co/Tk68jt0Nx9
— Inah de Belen (@InahDB) May 8, 2020
On a side note, Francis Baraan IV, a human rights activist, condemned the government for its ridiculous action of prioritizing the shutdown of ABS-CBN Network instead of conducting “contact-tracing, mass testing, and organizing the logistics of an effective militarized lockdown.”
He said, “The world now knows PH’s public health response to a global pandemic. While other countries are busy contact-tracing, mass testing, & organizing the logistics of an effective militarized lockdown, the Duterte Regime is busy orchestrating ABS-CBN Shutdown—& TESTING OUR PATIENCE.”
The world now knows PH's public health response to a global pandemic.
While other countries are busy contact-tracing, mass testing, & organizing the logistics of an effective militarized lockdown, the Duterte Regime is busy orchestrating ABS-CBN Shutdow—& TESTING OUR PATIENCE.
— Francis Baraan IV (@MrFrankBaraan) May 6, 2020
Furthermore, the New England Complex Systems Institute specified seven actions to completely “flatten the curve”:
- Act quickly
- Isolate away from home
- Strict travel restrictions
- Massive amount of testing
- Face masks for everyone
- Continue practicing social distancing
- Don’t reopen too early
