Experts from OCTA Research believe Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila are still “too high” for the government to relax its guard, the Metro Manila Council on the other hand is proposing a further easing of restrictions after May 31.
ONCE again, the national government particularly President Duterte faces a difficult decision to make: should restrictions be eased further in Metro Manila as Covid-19 cases drop down or shall we continue with the current status?
This, after two major stakeholders had proposed divergent paths for the government to go to as the general community quarantine (GCQ) “with heightened restrictions” over the NCR Plus bubble is set to expire on May 31.
On one hand, the Metro Manila Council wants to ease some restrictions currently imposed under GCQ with heightened restrictions, according to Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos.
"Ang napag-usapan po kagabi [May 26] ay to open more businesses or activities at kung puwede ay lakihan ang capacity ng mga activities, ng mga negosyo," he said.
Under the current classifications, indoor dine-in services are allowed at 20 percent venue or seating capacity while outdoor or al fresco dining shall be at 50 percent venue or seating capacity.
Outdoor tourist attractions in the NCR Plus, on the other hand, may be opened at 30 percent with strict adherence to minimum public health standards.
Public transportation shall remain operational at such capacities and protocols in accordance with the Department of Transportation guidelines while the use of active transportation shall be promoted.
Abalos said the mayors also want capacity in religious gatherings to be increased to 50 percent from the current 30 percent.
Retain status quo for now
However, the OCTA Research Group believes a two-week extension of the current quarantine classification is still needed as “the numbers are still high.”
“While we believe we can relax restrictions, we think we should try to retain the GCQ at this time because the cases are still significant. We want to avoid situations wherein people become very complacent because they feel that the situation has improved significantly, that there are no more cases when in fact there are still cases,” OCTA Research Group fellow Professor Guido David
He, however, suggested the relaxation of some heightened restrictions to allow more businesses to operate at a higher capacity.
In its latest monitoring report, the group showed that NCR’s average of new Covid-19 cases per day is 1,099 over the past week.
It noted the figure is 80 percent lower compared to its peak in April when the infections surged.
The NCR’s positivity rate also has decreased to 10 percent from 25 percent in April while its reproduction number or number of persons each case can infect dropped to 0.53.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the government's policy-making body in addressing the Covid-19 problem is set to meet today to discuss the next quarantine classifications for the country. (ONT)
Tags: #Covid19, #NCRPlusBubble, #generalcommunityquarantine, #MetroManilaMayorsCouncil, #OCTAResearch