Palace: Don’t be complacent, follow health protocols amid relaxed lockdowns
ABS-CBN News
Malacañang on Sunday reminded Filipinos to continue following health protocols as the government slowly eases lockdowns in different parts of the country.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque advised the public not to be complacent amid reports that some trooped to malls on the first day of the shift to modified enhanced community quarantine and general community quarantine.
“We advise the public not to be complacent and to follow health protocols set by authorities after we received reports of people who trooped to the malls with complete disregard of social/physical distancing measures on the first day of our shift from enhanced community quarantine to modified enhanced community quarantine and general community quarantine in Luzon,” he said in a statement.
He also said Filipinos must learn from the experience of other countries that experienced a second wave of infections after lockdowns were relaxed.
“We must understand that we have started to slowly ease restrictions in order to revitalize the economy, and not because we are safe. We must learn from other countries like South Korea, which contained the spread of the virus but later experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases when citizens became relaxed,” Roque said.
“The Palace therefore asks for the cooperation of the public as the whole country remains in quarantine. We must not put to waste our collective efforts and sacrifices. Stay at home, go out to do essential work or when authorized as we ramp up testing. We must continue to be vigilant of the risks of COVID-19, conduct proper hygiene, wear face mask or face shield, and observe social or physical distancing,” he added.
Several streets around Metro Manila slowly started coming back to life on Saturday as the Philippine capital shifted to a modified enhanced community quarantine after 2 months under lockdown.
As of Sunday, there are 12,513 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, with 824 deaths and 2,635 recoveries.
