Malacañang on Wednesday said Filipinos had been disobeying social distancing rules this holiday season, causing an uptick in the country’s Covid-19 cases.
“Ang panahon ng pag-iingat: It’s mask, hugas, iwas plus bakuna. Hindi po pupuwedeng mawala ang isa diyan sa apat. Hindi dahil naka-mask tayo at naghugas tayo at bakunado tayo, nakakalimutan natin iyong iwas,” acting Palace spokesman Karlo Nograles said in a virtual presser.
“So ngayon tumataas. Nagtatanong ang taumbayan: Bakit tumataas? Dahil nakakalimutan ang iwas. Ganoon lang po kasimple iyan, kaya nga paulit-ulit nating niri-remind,” he added.
Nograles, who is also the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases’s mouthpiece, said the government was “getting concerned” with rising Covid-19 cases.
The Philippines recorded 899 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the most since Nov. 27.
“Of course, we are getting concerned. Of course, we are getting worried, at dapat lang! Kaya ang panawagan: LGUs please enforce. Kapag may tumataas ang bilang ng kaso, granular lockdown,” Nograles said.
The Philippines has yet to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19.
As of Dec. 28, it has fully vaccinated 48.6 million individuals.
More than 57 million have yet to complete their vaccinations. John Ezekiel J. Hirro