ASEANEWS: COVID-19: MANILA- Code Red-2 ’at hand’ as cases soar to 49

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 Contributor 0 Comment ASEANEWS: COVID-19: MANILA- Code Red-2 ’at hand’ as cases soar to 49, coronavirus disease, Francisco Duque III, Philippine National Police

MANILA HEADLINE

‘Expect community transmittal shortly: lockdown follows’

CORONA, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

At several drug stores in Metro Manila as this one on Wednesday, appearingly anxious lines of consumers dash to the panic zone to buy bottles of alcohol, face masks, and other medical equipment as the number of infected coronaviruses shoot up. ..Lino Santos

by Joyce Pangco Panares and Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz, Rio N. Araja, Vito Barcelo.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday warned community-level transmission of the new coronavirus disease—one of the triggers for a lockdown—will likely happen “over the very short term” as cases soared to 49 with 16 more COVID-19 positive patients.

At least 40,000 policemen will be deployed in the event the government decides to implement a lockdown in certain areas in Metro Manila, Philippine National Police chief Archie Gamboa said.Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., for his part, said the military is prepared to augment the PNP for a “whole-of-government” approach in containing the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines urged President Duterte to provide a government cash subsidy to workers who would be displaced in the event of a lockdown.“We call upon President Duterte to provide workers with cash subsidy as government financial aid to daily-paid workers and those no-work no-pay employees who might be affected in case the government enforces a lockdown on COVID-19-hit areas where their workplaces are located,” TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said. He added that the subsidy could be drawn from the President’s Social Fund

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