Duterte: COVID-19 is here to stay

MANILA, Philippines — People may no longer enjoy carefree strolling and drinking sessions for years as the virus that causes COVID-19 is "here to stay" and is expected to cause more deaths, President Rodrigo Duterte said.

Duterte, who predicted last year that COVID-19 - then known as the novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease - would die a "natural death," admitted that it would take time before the pandemic ends. He added that health and safety measures like the wearing of face masks, limited social contacts, physical distancing, staying home, and frequent hand washing would become part of Filipinos' lifestyle "for the next how many years."

"This is worldwide so it has changed the lifestyle of everybody in this planet. Gone are those days. We are lucky that we experienced strolling, holding drinking sessions anywhere, nary a care about getting a virus somewhere," Duterte said during a public address last Monday.

"Matagal pa ‘to (This will remain for a long time). This virus will just circulate in the air for years.. For our small children, it's OK. They are not losing anything. But for the teenagers who have just experienced it, they really longed for it but I am telling them straight... the virus is here to stay and it will change your life, at least forever, until it's gone... And it will continue to claim lives," he added.
 
Duterte cited the Spanish flu, which had infected and killed millions of people in Europe.
 
"It was there for a long time, in the air circling. So it changed the lifestyle of the people of Europe at that time," the president said.

Duterte reminded Filipinos to protect themselves from the virus by observing minimum health standards and availing of COVID-19 vaccines.

"(During) the first opportunity, get vaccinated. It might save your life, it might not be your time yet...If you get vaccinated, you might reach an old age... But the problem, the basic problem, the fundamental fear is that it is here to stay and it has changed our lives from hereon," Dutetre said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has so far infected 1.75 million persons and has claimed more than 30,000 lives in the Philippines, according to latest government data. The pandemic has forced the government to impose lockdowns that restricted mobility, disrupted business operations, and displaced thousands of workers.

No alternatives

Duterte admitted that imposing quarantine restrictions is unpopular but it has to be done to protect public health.

"With regard to the quarantine, I would like the people to know that I do not want it also. And if there is a substitute for it, I (would) readily adopt it. But in the meantime, there is none , and I have to do what I have to do," the president said.  

"It is not acceptable to everybody. It is not popular and people will hate me, but then I said my job is to do exactly what I am now trying to implement... Even if you kill me, I cannot do anything. I have to do what I think would protect the Filipino people," he added.

The enforcement of the most stringent enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) on Metro Manila, the country's economic center, is expected to cost the economy P150 billion, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). The capital region has been placed under a two-week lockdown starting last Aug. 6 and officials have yet to decide whether to extend it.

The NEDA has recommended the relaxing of the Metro Manila lockdown after August 20, to allow people to return to work. Instead of region-wide quarantine restrictions, the government can implement localized lockowns to contain the pandemic, the economic planning agency added.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said there is no consensus yet on the next quarantine classification of Metro Manila. He added that the NEDA's recommendation is expected to be discussed in succeeding meetings. 

"We have not received a report as far as data is concerned. Second, I will say that our objective is to achieve total health. We cannot lower the number of COVID cases while allowing the number of people who are suffering because of hunger to rise," Roque said at a press briefing Tuesday.  

"So, I think we are one in IATF to find that delicate balance of total health, but for now, we have to see the data. Because all the decisions of the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases)  are data-driven," he added.