Senators want gov't to employ stricter measures vs Delta variant

Senators on Wednesday, July 21 urged the government to put in place stricter mechanisms anew to prevent coronavirus (COVID-19) cases of the more infectious Delta variant in the Philippines from rising to dangerous levels and put the country’s health system and economy at risk once again.

“Malapit na tayo sa (We are near the) tipping point,” Senator Nancy Binay told reporters in a text message.

“Hindi lang naman COVID ang concern ng lahat ngayon (Everyone’s concern these days are not only about COVID)—we are already full with other things beyond our control,” she noted.

“The rising COVID cases continue to strain hospitals, and the new variants will definitely put more stress on our already overburdened public health system,” the senator said.

With the potential brunt of the Delta variant, she said the government has to put premium on two things: to ensure stricter border controls, and save the healthcare support system from a possible collapse.

Binay said the Department of Health (DOH) has to prepare for the possibility of its fully vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs) acquiring the Delta variant.

“I hope government finds practical ways to protect our HCWs because they are the ones exposed and more prone to infection because of the high viral load in hospitals. You can already feel their frustration and desperation.

Sen. Sonny Angara also said the government should again start regulating the number of persons in private establishments especially in places like shops, gyms, buildings and other enclosed spaces.

“Otherwise, the Delta variant will spread quickly indoors,” Angara said.

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said the people should maintain a guiding principle that they should only leave their homes only for “essential” chores.

Pimentel said the general rule should be to “stay at home” and “go out only for essential activities” while observing the wearing of face masks and to maintain physical distancing.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, on the other hand, said it is important that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) accelerates its testing and contact tracing program and more importantly, its genome sequencing.

“We would not know the real figure if we can’t confirm the cases through genetic sequencing. Our situation may seem to improve from day to day but let’s not let our guard down. Let’s maintain the safety health protocols because we can’t afford to be complacent,” Hontiveros said.

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan urged the government to heed the advise of the country’s health experts. He also did not discount the possibility the government will reimpose an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent the country from experiencing Indonesia’s present struggle with COVID-19.