Vice presidential aspirant Sara Duterte has strongly appealed anew to the public for cooperation and discipline to fight the continued public health threat of the COVID-19 pandemic as cases register record breaking numbers daily.
The Davao City mayor remained positive of a victory against the dreaded disease so long as everybody would help and unite in carrying out health and safety measures to avoid infection.
In a video message released Friday, Jan. 14, Duterte reminded the public to take extra precautions to avoid being infected or transmitting the virus by observing the minimum heath protocols set by the Department of Health such as proper wearing of face masks, social distancing, proper handwashing, and to avoid mass gatherings to protect oneself and their families.
“Hindi pa nga natin tuluyang nalampasan ang Delta variant — mayroon na namang Omicron variant. (We have not gone over the Delta variant yet here comes the Omicron varian),” said Duterte, chairperson of the Lakas-CMD party.
Staying at home, except for essential reasons, greatly contributes in keeping the households safe and in protecting immunocompromised family members, she said.
“Iwasan natin ang mga matataong lugar. Kung nasa mga pampublikong lugar naman — dumistansya po tayo sa iba (Let us avoid crowded places. If we are in a public area, observe social distancing),” she added.
According to Duterte making soap and water handwashing and sanitizing hands with alcohol should be made into habits of people.
Mayor Sara also called on Filipinos to be protected by getting vaccinated with primary doses and booster shots that are available to the public across the country.
“Lumapit po tayo sa ating mga lokal na opisyal sakaling hindi pa tayo nababakunahan (Seek the help of local officials if you are not yet vaccinated), she said.
Aside from Metro Manila, 28 other provincial areas have been placed under Alert level 3 due to the surge in COVID-19 infections.