Senators on Wednesday, July 28, said local governments could just impose targeted lockdowns in areas with more coronavirus infections than placing anew the entire National Capital Region (NCR) under a stricter quarantine.

"Dahil umpisa pa lang ang surge, doon sa maraming kaso dapat tutukan ang lockdown para naka focus at hindi sabog ang effort (At the beginning of a surge, areas with many cases should be considered being locked down so that efforts are focused and not scattered)," Senator Francis Pangilinan said in a text message.

"Kung nasaan ang mga barangay o mga bayan na marami ang kaso base sa testing at tracing, 'yon ang mga dapat i-lockdown agad-agad at ipagbawal ang papasok o lalabas, at hindi 'yong buong NCR (Barangays or municipalities with high COVID-19 cases based on testing and contract tracing are the ones that should be locked down immediately and prohibit entry and exit, not the entire NCR," he added.

Pangilinan, however, agreed that an NCR-wide lockdown might be needed if the Delta variant has spread already out to several communities.

Senator Joel Villanueva, meanwhile, underscored the need for a more aggressive contact tracing to detect possible infections.

"We cannot overemphasize the importance of contact tracing with the surge in COVID cases, especially with the Delta variant in our midst," Villanueva said.

"We should refer to our data on contact tracing. Our contact tracing data should be able to identify the hotspots and should be able to do targeted lockdowns," he added. "Contact tracing remains one of the more effective tools to stem the spread of COVID."

Villanueva said he has been in talks with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to look for additional funds for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program, which he said could be used for the government's contact tracing efforts.

"I just hope the government could make the data on contact tracing accessible so that different groups who are willing to do some analysis can help inform government decisions," he appealed.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also opposed "drastic" lockdowns.

"Once again, this will be a great balancing act between lives and livelihoods. We already have vast experience on identifying the source of spread of the virus and we should restrict those without going into drastic lockdowns that can cripple the economy," he said, echoing the call for localized lockdowns.

"The challenge is to balance both the health and economic crisis. I hope that the experts will base their decision on scientific and factual data and learn from the successful policies of countries that contained the surge," Senator Grace Poe also said.

The OCTA Research on Tuesday, July 27, recommended the imposition of "circuit-breaker lockdowns" to stop the possible spread of the more contagious Delta coronavirus variant in Metro Manila.

"Govt should listen to the experts. Localized lockdowns may be necessary," Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto agreed.

But Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benhur Abalos said local government units have already been implementing granular lockdowns in their respective areas with a high prevalence of COVID-19 cases.

President Duterte, in his sixth State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday, said the country could not anymore afford more lockdowns.

In the same speech, however, he also warned that he will again "be strict" if there will be an outbreak of the Delta variant.

As of Sunday, July 25, 119 cases of Delta variant infections have been detected in the Philippines.

Since the start of the outbreak, total COVID-19 cases in the country are at now 1,562,420 as of Tuesday, with 56,477 of them still active. A total of 27,318 deaths have also been recorded.