MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship warned against putting parts of the Philippines back under lockdown, as the country awaits President Duterte’s new pronouncements amid rising COVID-19 cases.
Instead, Presidential Adviser Jose Maria Concepcion III stressed the importance of mass testing to make the extent of the outbreak more visible.
“At this point in time, we have to thrive to prevent moving back unless the levels of infection really go sky high,” he said in an online conference, when asked for his opinion on a stricter quarantine.
“We should not go back to locking down the entire Luzon or locking down GMA (Greater Manila Area). That is the past,” he said.
“Currently, I think we are still in control. Yes, the infection is going up and that’s expected as you open the economy. So that’s why you have to enhance testing to enhance visibility,” he added.