After six months of the COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed so many lives around the world, Europe was reported out to try a new strategy it called “Lockdown Lite.”
Some countries like Canada have already reported a second wave of the pandemic, while cases in the United States continued unabated with deaths hitting the 200,000 mark last week. Vaccines are still in the middle of the final Phase 3 trials and are not expected to be ready before December at the earliest.
Infections continue in France, Spain, United Kingdom, and other countries in Europe, but they want to avoid the earlier severe restrictions that caused severe recessions. They will now carry out “Lockdown Lite” — partial and shifting lockdowns, focusing on local hot spots, such as certain neighborhoods, nightclubs, or private parties, rather than on entire regions.
Across Western Europe last week, officials cracked down on nightlife and on mass gatherings as they tightened rules on wearing of face masks in public places. Pubs and restaurants in the UK were ordered to close at 10 p.m. Bars in Paris, France, were also ordered to close at 10 p.m . Restaurants in Madrid, Spain, were similarly ordered to close early except in some not-so-affected areas where they were allowed to remain open until 1:30 a.m.
In Beijing, China, the government has also abandoned the strategy of confining millions in their homes. Instead, the government shut down schools and some localities where cases were high, leaving the majority of the city’s people free to move around.
There was a similar proposal for selective — rather than regional — lockdowns in the Philippines as early as last April. But the entire Metro Manila, along with some other regions, has been treated as one region subjected to the same restrictions, even if the clusters of cases were found in a few selected localities.
We might now consider the new strategy of selective lockdowns that European countries have adopted. Places with new cases — such as restaurants and nightclubs — are closed down; a locality, if necessary. But not the entire city, and certainly not the entire region.
This will require greater involvement of local governments, especially of barangay officials. They will have to pay close watch on their residents, ensure that they are all using face masks and gatherings of more than a few people are not allowed. These efforts must be combined with rigorous tracing and testing.
The COVID-19 virus is still with us and this situation is likely to remain for sometime, even with the start of mass vaccinations, probably in 2021. Individuals must continue to take personal precautions — face masks and face shields, physical distancing, constant washing of hands.
Local governments, like those in Europe, may concentrate on selective lockdowns — on “Lockdown Lite.” But ultimately, it is still the individual person who must take responsibility against infection as he goes to work or moves around the community, then comes home to his family.