Metro Manila had been the most badly hit in the Covid-19 outbreak.
So, heeding a call from an overwhelmed medical workforce, the government had placed NCR and its neighboring provinces under a stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until August 18, with transportation and non-essential businesses closed, and people urged to stay at home.
![Right now, these are the top 2 places where you can get infected with the coronavirus, says gov't]( "Right now, these are the top 2 places where you can get infected with the coronavirus, says gov't")
Before the disease even had a name, the country had stringent quarantine measures put in place in NCR and the whole of Luzon to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
But in recent weeks, the number of confirmed cases has rocketed. Tuesday, August 4, brought the highest one-day spike so far of new infections to date at 6,352. Yesterday, NCR logged in 1,737 out of the country's 4,226 fresh cases, bringing a total PH tally of 126,885 – the highest in Southeast Asia.
Mostly, NCR's coronavirus infections are coming from densely-packed workplace common areas and family celebrations, according to the country's coronavirus action plan Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr.
1. WORKPLACES
In two recent press briefings, Galvez said this was among the findings of coronavirus task force officials as they went around Metro Manila.
"We saw that the most critical care areas right now are the workplace, the ones we call economic hubs, at the same time the industries," he said on Thursday, August 6, during the launch of the One Hospital Command Center in Makati City.
He said that “grave violations” have been observed by officials in terms of “minimum health standards” at canteens and in smoking areas.
Private companies should conduct "orientation" seminars for their workers to ensure better compliance with rules like mandatory mask wearing, disinfection, social distancing, and the ban on non-essential mass gatherings, he added.
So far, officials have reported 512 workplace-related COVID-19 infections from among more than 30 call centers in Quezon City which are being monitored by the city government due to the high number of employees testing positive for COVID-19.
To prevent further transmission, the city government said it will temporarily close companies who will violate health protocols.
2. FAMILY CELEBRATIONS
St Luke's and Philippine General Hospital have reported to government officials that infections are no longer occurring by individual but by family.
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So, heeding a call from an overwhelmed medical workforce, the government had placed NCR and its neighboring provinces under a stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until August 18, with transportation and non-essential businesses closed, and people urged to stay at home.
Before the disease even had a name, the country had stringent quarantine measures put in place in NCR and the whole of Luzon to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
But in recent weeks, the number of confirmed cases has rocketed. Tuesday, August 4, brought the highest one-day spike so far of new infections to date at 6,352. Yesterday, NCR logged in 1,737 out of the country's 4,226 fresh cases, bringing a total PH tally of 126,885 – the highest in Southeast Asia.
Mostly, NCR's coronavirus infections are coming from densely-packed workplace common areas and family celebrations, according to the country's coronavirus action plan Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr.
1. WORKPLACES
In two recent press briefings, Galvez said this was among the findings of coronavirus task force officials as they went around Metro Manila.
"We saw that the most critical care areas right now are the workplace, the ones we call economic hubs, at the same time the industries," he said on Thursday, August 6, during the launch of the One Hospital Command Center in Makati City.
He said that “grave violations” have been observed by officials in terms of “minimum health standards” at canteens and in smoking areas.
Private companies should conduct "orientation" seminars for their workers to ensure better compliance with rules like mandatory mask wearing, disinfection, social distancing, and the ban on non-essential mass gatherings, he added.
So far, officials have reported 512 workplace-related COVID-19 infections from among more than 30 call centers in Quezon City which are being monitored by the city government due to the high number of employees testing positive for COVID-19.
To prevent further transmission, the city government said it will temporarily close companies who will violate health protocols.
2. FAMILY CELEBRATIONS
St Luke's and Philippine General Hospital have reported to government officials that infections are no longer occurring by individual but by family.
"The trend has changed. Now, the patients are not just one family but multiple families. This means the transmissions are happening in the workplace and what we call family celebrations," Galvez said.
Even in Nueva Ecija where there are zero infections, health authorities announced 60 new coronavirus cases.
"Because someone invited family from Manila, there was a family reunion, 60 got contaminated," he explained.
On top of that is the prevalence of families who live in tiny houses, especially in poor communities. Family dwellings in these areas usually house 5 to 10 family members per abode, with shared sleeping rooms, bathroom, and social facilities.
It seems almost inevitable that these houses would become clusters, and indeed they did. Thousands of cases have now been confirmed in several community clusters.
To address this problem, the government recently began more aggressively imposing the requirement that COVID-19 cases without their own room and bathroom have to be brought to accredited isolation facilities.
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