22/09/2021
HPAAC Statement on NCR’s Shift to a New COVID-19 Alert Level Scheme
September 16, 2021
The IATF declared a new community quarantine scheme to be tested in NCR as a pilot area. It uses a five-point scale from Alert Level 1 (mildest) to Alert Level 5 (the worst situation). Granular lockdowns can be implemented at any point in the alert scale.
In this new system, NCR will be placed on Alert Level 4, which entails lighter quarantine restrictions than MECQ. This comes at a time when we face the worst surge of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines. We now register more cases than at any other time since the pandemic started. Health facilities are overwhelmed, resulting in patients dying unattended at home, in ambulances, or in corridors.
Based on this premise, we are inclined to believe that the proposed scheme, which claims to use pandemic severity and healthcare utilization data in deciding the alert level, does not reflect the true situation on the ground. We therefore strongly urge the government to acknowledge and address the inadequacies of our data reporting system that forms the basis for the alert levels.
We likewise remind the government to refocus on what can prevent future surges - integrated digital contact tracing, increased testing, appropriate compensation and recognition for healthcare workers, distribution of ayuda, enhanced vaccination, better coordination between facilities and government units, and improved air circulation in all facilities. We need these improvements to achieve longer relief from the pandemic.
In light of latest easing of restrictions, we plead for the public to help healthcare workers by limiting our mobility when possible, and tightening protective measures now more than ever.
We believe the country and our economy can survive this pandemic if we work together and listen closely to each other without insulting each other or losing our temper.