It may take more than two weeks for the recent surge of Covid-19 cases to be reversed.
The OCTA Research group of the University of the Philippines (UP) said while controlling infections during the government’s two-week “travel bubble” in the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus is possible, it is highly unlikely to happen.
“To be very brutally frank, based from our study we will have a very hard time [achieving the reduction] because of the momentum of the surge [in cases]. We did not expect the spread [of infection] will be that fast at such extreme [numbers],” OCTA Research Fellow Ranjit Rye said in an interview with PTV on Wednesday.
The group is now closely monitoring the impact of the “travel bubble” imposed by the government in NCR Plus, which includes NCR and the provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan to slowdown the increase in daily new Covid-19 cases from March 22 to April 4, 2021.
The “travel bubble” was a more “relaxed” government response compared to the proposal of the OCTA Research to elevate the community quarantine classification of NCR from general community quarantine (GCQ) to a modified enhance community quarantine (MECQ).
However, OCTA Research urged the public to give the travel bubble “a chance” and comply with its guidelines to reduce new Covid-19 cases.
“The goal is to reduce transmissions. The goal of course is to ensure that our hospitals are not overwhelmed,” Rye said.
“But the moment our hospitals are filled [with Covid-19 patients], we need the necessary adjustments [in quarantine restrictions],” he added.
Rye said if the influx in daily new Covid-19 cases will continue next week despite the “travel bubble” the government must impose stricter quarantine measures to prevent overwhelming the healthcare facilities.
On Monday, the government imposed the “travel bubble” in NCR Plus in its attempt to slowdown the spread of infections, which breached the 8,000 mark.
Image credits: Stephanie Tumampos
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