No Nationwide Lockdown During The Holidays, Officials Say As They Slam Fake News

Malacañang, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the municipality of Pateros clarified on Sunday, Dec. 6, that the government has no plan to impose a nationwide lockdown from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials urged the public not to peddle false information as the Philippines is battling a public health crisis.

“Fake news,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque and DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said in separate text messages.

Over the weekend, text messages advising the public to prepare for a "possible" declaration of a nationwide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) circulated, almost a week after President Duterte announced the quarantine classifications for this month.

ECQ is the strictest quarantine scenario wherein public transportation services are suspended and very few sectors like healthcare and food production and distribution can operate.

The text messages claimed the lockdown would be implemented "to prevent possible increase” in coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) cases during the “holiday season.”

Año stressed there is no proposal for a return to nationwide or city-wide lockdowns and that there is no reason for the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious to discuss the matter because it is baseless.

DILG Underscretary Jonathan Malaya also said cities have not submitted any formal request to impose a lockdown over their jurisdictions, particularly in Manila.

He pointed out that city mayors are no longer allowed to impose city-wide lockdowns but only granular or limited ones over barangays or streets.

The decision to enforce nationwide or city-wide lockdowns falls within the jurisdiction of the IATF, Malaya said.

MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia and Pateros Mayor Miguel Ponce III also dismissed the text messages as fake news.

The officials told the public to wait for official announcements on any changes regarding quarantine classifications.

The DILG also reminded the Filipinos to strictly follow health and safety protocols to prevent a surge in COVID-19 transmission this Christmas season.

IATF vice chairman and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles called on the public to act responsibly during the pandemic.

"Know the truth. Do not spread fake news especially during this time. Let us continue to be responsible to ourselves and to our families," he said.

Año likewise asked the people to refrain from sharing unverified information to avoid creating panic among the public.

Restituto Padilla, spokesman of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, reminded the public to verify information they receive with authorities or trusted organizations.

"Let us not be instruments of fake news distribution," Padilla said in a text message.

Metro Manila, Batangas, Iloilo City, Tacloban City, Lanao del Sur, Iligan, Davao City, and Davao del Norte will be under general community quarantine (GCQ) until the end of the year while the rest of the country will be under the most lenient modified GCQ.

Last month, health officials said they are preparing for a possible surge in COVID-19 infections after the holidays and have appealed to the public to continue complying with health and safety standards like proper hygiene, wearing of face shields and face masks, and physical distancing.

In an interview with “The Chiefs” on One News / TV 5 on Wednesday night, Dec. 2, Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the decision to impose a lockdown would be based on the number of COVID-19 cases in an area and the capacity of its health system to admit more patients.

She warned citizens that the government could be forced to reimpose a strict lockdown after the Christmas season if COVID-19 cases overwhelm the country’s healthcare system.

Vergeire, however, said another lockdown would be the last option for the government to control the surge and transmission of COVID-19 nationwide.

“When I say we assess the situation, it is not just the number that we talk about, we talk about the capacity of the health system,” Vergeire pointed out.

Last August, President Duterte decided to revert the National Capital Region, Cavite, Bulacan and Rizal to modified ECQ or MECQ after medical frontliners called for a two-week lockdown to prevent the collapse of the healthcare system.

During that time, Vergeire said almost all hospitals in Metro Manila were full and patients were just accommodated in tents as COVID cases soared dramatically.

However, Vergeire stressed that the possibility of lockdown is yet to be put on the table for discussion.

“But there are still no discussions on these restrictions and all. We are just trying to plug the possibility that there might be a surge because of this holiday season,” she noted.

Vergeire said the whole country, including Metro Manila at this time is “low risk,” but there are several areas that the DOH is closely monitoring for rising COVID cases and hospital capacity nearing the “danger zone.”