MANILA – The Philippines started to flatten the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) curve with its tight enhanced community quarantine measures but was halted by the easing of restrictions.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the reopening of the economy and expanded testing capacity put an end to the progress of the Philippines in flattening the curve.
“Immediately after ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) and MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine), we noticed that we have somehow experienced decline in the number of cases. In other words, at some point, we started, we were starting to flatten the curve,” Roque said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
“But unfortunately, because of the opening of the economy, and also because of intensified testing, it did not continue. The flattening did not continue,” the Palace spokesperson added.
“We have not actually flattened the curve, we slowed it down tremendously as a result of ECQ and MECQ, but with intensified testing and I guess with the reopening of the economy, the cases increased anew,” he further said.
Roque, however, explained that the new policies – particularly the increased testing protocols – were not “necessarily negative altogether” as these would help authorities in contact tracing and isolation procedures.
Roque’s clarification came after Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III claimed that the country has “successfully” flattened the curve of infections since April, a pronouncement slammed by netizens and lawmakers alike.
Duque later clarified that what he meant to say was the Philippines “bent” the curve while he also attributed the spike in cases to expanded testing capacity and community transmission due to movement of people./PN
