THE goverment expects to reduce the number of new Covid-19 cases per day by at least 25 percent after its two-week “travel bubble” around National Capital Region (NCR) and its surrounding areas.
On Monday, the government finally started restricting “non-essential” travel to and from the “NCR Plus,” which includes Metro Manila and the provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan, in its attempt to slow down the recent surge in infections.
Monday’s new daily case log hit an all-time high of 8,019.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the Philippine National Police has set up at least 20 “quarantine control points” to ensure only Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR) will be able to pass through the “bubble area” to stop the spread of the disease.
“Well, in the briefing of DOH [Department of Health], our target is to reduce by a minimum of 25 percent [daily Covid-19 cases], but we are hoping for more,” Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in an online press briefing.
The travel bubble, which was supported by Metro Manila mayors, will last up to April 4, 2021.
Selective restrictions
During the travel bubble, Roque said most business operations and public movement in NCR plus will continue normally, except for selected establishments and mass gatherings, which will temporarily be suspended from operating.
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Vice President Pablo Virgilio David questioned the government decision to ban religious activities, including masses, in the travel bubble, but still allow fitness centers and personal care services to continue operations.
“I was hoping they would at least allow a 20- to 30-percent maximum physical attendance in our Churches following strict protocol. But no, they would not even allow us to celebrate Easter on April 4,” David said in a post in Facebook.
“Isn’t this a violation of religious freedom?” the Caloocan prelate added.
No financial aid
For their part, labor leaders criticized government’s failure to announce a new round of financial aid to workers, who may be temporarily displaced as a result of the “travel bubble.”
Without such aid, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said affected workers will either suffer hunger or opt to violate quarantine restrictions to seek other means of livelihood.
Partido Manggagawa chairman Renato Magtubo said government could allocate funding for such aid through the passage of the pending Bayanihan 3 bill, while Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) chairman Elmer Labog said it could be funded by loans secured from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Roque admitted there is currently no government cash aid for the affected workers and establishments, and instead the concerned government agencies and local government units (LGU) will help them using their existing programs.
Rising cases
Concerns over the capability of the government and health care facilities to handle the soaring infections were recently raised as the new cases of Covid-19 cases per day rose from 4,000 earlier this month to over 8,000 on Monday.
The spike in new cases this month caught many local chief executives in NCR by surprise prompting many of them to impose granular lockdowns, according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benhur Abalos.
Image credits: Roy Domingo
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