Bai amelhia pangal

Activity 6: persuasive essay

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed several threats to the

world. The quarantine did help to delay the spread of the virus,
and the Philippines seems to be on its way to flattening the
curve. The number of cases reported in the country is no longer
rising exponentially; however the curve is flattening. The
Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) has been
extended, raising the question of how effective the ECQ has
been in containing the spread of COVID-19. If that's the case,
how can it be enforced after April 30 without paralyzing local
economies for an extended period of time?

To combat the spread of COVID-19, the Philippines has

extended community quarantine protocols in most parts of the
country until April 30, with tighter restrictions in certain areas in
different time frames. The country remains on its code warning
system’s Code Red Sublevel 2, suggesting continuing local virus
transmission with more cases than the government can manage.
According to Health Undersecretary, Maria Rosario Vergeire,
the Department of Health and the National Economic
Development Authority are putting together a cost-benefit study
of the impact of extended restrictions on the economy and
overall health of Filipinos.

The ECQ, the Philippines’ most stringent quarantine

measure, is currently in operation. Why do we need another
ECQ? The ECQ’s aim, according to Vergeire, is to slow the
spread of cases by reducing people’s mobility, augmenting
hospital services, managing patient traffic, and strengthening
local governments’ response to test and isolate both suspected
and confirmed cases.

The Department of Health previously stated that an ECQ

was needed to prevent active cases from increasing threefold
from their current level of 105,000. The Department of Health
(DOH) predicted that by the end of April, the nation would have
430,000 active cases- a situation that could cripple the health
system. Earlier in the pandemic, the World Health Organization
had advised countries to take preventive measures.

“We need to put the economy back to life and we don't

need to die trying.” says Alexander Cabrera, Chairman and
Senior Partner of PWC Philippines. The pandemic is a war that
every person and every government unit must fight, but it will
take everyone's collective effort and unity to win.