​Still under GCQ

PHILIPPINES - In Brief 31 Jul 2020 by Romeo Bernardo

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President Duterte announced today another 15-day extension of general community quarantine (GCQ) for Metro Manila and other key regions in the country. The decision was unsurprising despite earlier warnings of a possible return to more stringent measures due to the rising number of covid-19 cases in recent weeks. The total number of cases have more than doubled over the last month, from less than 40k at the end of June to almost 90k as of yesterday, with experts estimating the reproduction number at around 2. Policy makers have gradually come around to a mindset of having to balance the task of saving lives with that of reviving the economy. The covid-19 task force has increasingly allowed more industries to restart operations under GCQ, albeit at limited capacity,[1] even as they continue to grapple with allowing more public transportation and improving capacity for contact tracing and isolation, working with local government units. In today’s televised briefing, the President asked for patience, pinning hopes on the availability of a vaccine by December, especially from China with whom the Philippines has maintained good relations under his watch.[2] 2Q GDP numbers will be released next week, revealing the cost of the lockdown which was particularly strict in April and May. Even as restrictions have increasingly been relaxed, the challenge for the remaining months of the year is to restore consumer confidence. To succeed, containing the spread of covid-19 would be a necessary condition. [1] Most recently, fitness centers, tutorial and review centers, personal and pet grooming, among others were allowed to re-open at 30% capacity. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1313742...