The chief implementer of the National Task Force on COVID-19, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. would rather see Filipinos 'learning to live with the virus' rather than live with total lockdown enforcements anew.

Galvez, who is also the country's vaccine czar, said Sunday, March 14, that part of that 'living with the virus' are the observance of the minimum health safety standard protocols and getting vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

"President Duterte understands that as we provide our countrymen with an added layer of protection against the virus, must also take the necessary steps to bring back consumer and investment confidence and put the nation’s economy back on track to its pre-pandemic level. We must also keep in mind that the vaccine program will not put an immediate end to the health crisis. We must learn to live with the virus until it is totally eradicated," he said.

A total of 5,000 new COVID-19 cases were recorded by the Department of Health (DOH) last March 13, the highest tally this year, which pushed the total number of cases to 616,611.

Of these, there were 56,679 "active" cases or those who have yet to recover from the viral disease.

The surge in the number of cases came as more variants of COVID-19 were found in the country while quarantine restrictions were further eased with the opening of the economy.

With the surge in new cases, many people were worried that the country could be facing another lockdown to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

But Galvez said the government already expected the surge of cases due to the "improved" strategies of the government in handling the pandemic.

"The President is well aware of the need to fully reopen our economy while implementing aggressive measures to contain the spread of the virus and mitigate its impact. The government is doing its best to ensure that the country handle a possible spike in COVID-19 cases due to its improved testing, contact tracing, treatment and isolation capacity," he said.

Prior to this, Galvez had said that the way forward is the implementation of granular lockdowns where only a street, barangay, or an establishment is placed on lockdown instead of an entire region to avert the collapse of economy.

The vaccine czar also reminded the public to adhere to the minimum safety standards such as the wearing of face mask and face shield, observing social distancing, and practicing proper hygiene.

"In order for us to fully reopen the economy, we must not forget the most important lesson we have learned over the past year: we cannot be complacent. Therefore, we must still continue to strictly adhere to minimum health standards and community quarantine protocols," he said.