It's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to dealing with the new, more communicable variant of COVID-19.
Thus said Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas Sunday as he urged the government to strictly enforce health and safety protocols at airports and quarantine facilities.
(Alfred Vargas official Facebook page / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Mabuti nang safe. Sa tingin ko naman naiiintindihan ng lahat ang pangangailangan para sa ganitong set-up (It's better to be safe. I think everybody understands the need for this set-up.) But we need to properly communicate it to stakeholders who will be affected so they can make proper adjustments,” said the House Committee on Social Services chairman.
“For everyone’s safety, I would like to emphasize the need to continue observing established protocols especially in our airports and other ports of entry and in quarantine facilities for arriving travellers,” he said.
The third-term congressman and movie actor made the call after President Duterte extended the ban on all flights from the United Kingdom (UK) for another two weeks starting December 31.
The new COVID-19 strain which was first reported in the UK is believed to be 70 percent more contagious. Health experts have warned it could lead to higher rates of infection.
Vargas said there is no need to "reinvent the wheel” in facing the new threat, and that government only needs to learn from previous oversights and reinforce successful measures. “We must protect these quarantine facilities for travelers as much as our borders."
The solon also backed a Department of Health (DOH) recommendation for a 14-day quarantine at New Clark City for all travelers coming from countries where the new COVID-19 strain has been reported, regardless of the results of their RT-PCR test.
Aside from the UK, the countries with confirmed cases of the new COVID-19 strain are China's Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, and Japan.