MANILA – National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid medical adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa said on Thursday that the Philippines should not loosen its vigilance because the Delta variant remains a threat.
There is no better method to prevent the coronavirus Delta strain from entering the country than to implement strict quarantine measures and border controls.
“Ang Indonesia ay katabi lang ng Pilipinas. Napasok sila. Hindi pa sila tapos sa kanilang pagbabakuna. And isa sa mga nakita ko sa nangyari sa kanila eh binaba nila kaagad iyong kanilang quarantine rules. So parang ginawang five days yata so maraming nakapasok na Delta variant (Indonesia is near the Philippines. It was penetrated. They are not yet done with vaccination. One of the things I saw is that they loosened up their quarantine rule, reducing it to five days),” Herbosa said in an interview during the Laging Handa press briefing.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), there have been no local cases of the highly transmissible variant.
“We need to keep our border control strict. Pero aside from that, kailangan tuluy-tuloy pa rin iyong pagsuot ng face mask, face shield at huwag masyadong magpunta sa mga matataong lugar (But apart from that, there is still a need to wear face masks and face shields and avoid going to crowded places),” Herbosa said.
He also stressed the importance of intensifying mass testing, contact tracing, and treatment.
The DOH stated earlier that if health regulations are followed properly, the Delta variant should not be a cause for concern.
