Strict on curfew but not on things that matter

STARTING last Sunday, July 25, residents of the National Capital Region (NCR) had to live with longer curfew hours, one of the government’s reactions to the rising cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the metropolis.

It was the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) which announced on Saturday that the Metro Manila Council, which is composed of the metro mayors, will enforce a six-hour curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. in the region, already burdened by the recent imposition of general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions.

Under MMDA Resolution No. 21-13, the 17 Metro Manila mayors have agreed to adjust the curfew hours from the previous 12 midnight to 4 a.m. MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos said they need to limit the movement of the public through the imposition of longer curfew hours, adding “since the Delta variant spreads exponentially, we should not let our guards down and implement necessary restrictions to contain the virus.”

‘Rather than lengthen the curfew, the government should instead ban all public gatherings — family, social, religious, cultural, sports, gaming, etc. — and arrest and punish the violators.’

There is no disputing the fact that Metro Manila is actually threatened by a resurgence of COVID-19, reportedly the Delta variety. Abalos said the variant is highly contagious with an R naught (R0) — a measure of contagion or reproduction rate — of 5 to 8, and this may potentially trigger an exponential surge and local transmission in densely populated areas.

The Department of Health detected 55 more such cases on Sunday, moving the tally to 119 since the department confirmed the variant’s local transmission.

In their resolution, the metro mayors were torn between keeping the economy moving and stopping the movement and reproduction of the coronavirus. We understand their concern for “the paramount interests of life and health” but having longer curfew hours seems an unlikely first order of business to take.

Curfew hours, which are not strictly imposed anyway, are just part of the social distancing and mobility restrictions included in the protocols in the fight against the epidemic. More important is to speed up the vaccination program in the cities and also grant incentives to people who complete the inoculation process, even as sanctions should be pressed on those who continue to evade the vaccine.

Rather than lengthen the curfew, the government should instead ban all public gatherings — family, social, religious, cultural, sports, gaming, etc. — and arrest and punish the violators.  These are desperate times, and so desperate measures are in order.

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