Malacañang on Thursday said that the Department of Health (DOH) should have been more precise with guidelines for home quarantine of “mild” and “asymptomatic” Covid-19 cases. attributing the increase in infections to “unclear” rules.

“I think, hindi naging malinaw kasi iyong sinabi ng DOH that the asymptomatic and mild can stay home, hindi nila nilinaw that you must have your own room and bathroom. Kaya tingin ko, isa sa dahilan ito kaya tumaas ang numero natin,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque told reporters.

He claimed that through Oplan Kalinga, the government can “rectify” the home quarantine guidelines.

The spokesman also boasted of the country’s increased testing capacity.

“We have fully intensified our testing. You heard Testing Czar Vince Dizon, we might be able to test every single person in Metro Manila. Kailangan lang natin damihan din iyong isolation centers natin dahil baka mamaya alam natin ang positive, walang sariling kuwarto, walang banyo, hahawaan pa rin iyong pamilya,” he said.

Roque added that within two weeks since the announcement of Oplan Kalinga, which encourages sending “mild” or “asymptomatic” Covid-19 cases to government quarantine facilities instead of home quarantine, isolation centers were being utilized more efficiently.

“Talagang ganoon kadami ang nakikita nating positive because of intensified testing daily,” he added.

As of July 23, 74,390 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the country. John Ezekiel J. Hirro