Gov't eyeing 'selective quarantine' if COVID-19 parameters met: task force chief

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MANILA - The government may implement "selective quarantine" if the country meets certain thresholds and local governments enforce strict lockdown, the chief implementer of the Philippines' COVID-19 response team said Sunday.

Luzon, home to roughly half of the country's 100-million population, was placed under lockdown until April 30 to control the pandemic.

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"I believe ang gagawin po namin, pinaigting po namin ang regional, provincial at barangay quarantines para at least pag nakikita natin na-iimplement sa barangay, we can relax na po sa national, magkaroon po tayo ng tinatawag na selective quarantine," Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. told ANC.

"Pag nakapag-massive testing tayo, na-isolate na ang suspected carriers natin, tumaas ang recoveries natin, bumaba po ang deaths at new cases yun po ang tinitingnan natin."

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, however, said if a community sees a rise in COVID-19 cases, it has to be prepared to go into an enhanced community quarantine.

"Para we’ll be able to maintain the flattening of the curve and para hindi tayo ma-overwhelm dun sa ating healthcare capacity para we stretch it as much as possible until the world finds a vaccine," he said.

Nograles added that government has formed a technical working group to prepare for a post-quarantine scenario.

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Galvez said local healthcare facilities must be given capacity to handle COVID-19 cases.

"Once yung barangays, municipalities, and cities, and also yung provincial at regional, they will have developed that community resiliency and ability to react to series of waves of new cases, 'yun po ang nakikita natin na new normal," he said.

"Hindi natin masasabi hanggat walang vaccine, magkakaroon tayo ng relapse, at first, second wave attack."

Galvez said the country's lockdown of some 45 days would be enough to contain the pandemic.

"Yes, nakita natin sa experience ng China, they conducted a lockdown for almost 50 days. Tayo more or less 45 days," he said.