Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia on Thursday said it would be difficult for the Philippine economy to sustain another lockdown extension.
“Mahirap na siguro. Marami na nagsabi na kailangan may partial opening na (It’s difficult. A lot of people are saying that there needs to be partial opening). Dapat lang may (However, there should be) precaution against the resurgence or the relapse of people who had been cured or who were able to avoid the COVID-positive situation,” Pernia said in an interview over DZMM.
Pernia cited Wuhan and Singapore as an example, which he said experienced a relapse after they lifted their total lockdown.
“This has happened already in China, in Wuhan because when they lifted the lockdown, may mga relapses sila. Even Singapore also is suffering from relapse and Korea so we have to be careful about opening up (and) lifting the quarantine in some areas,” the NEDA secretary added.
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He also explained how the COVID-19 crisis would hit the country’s economic growth rate for 2020.
“The worst-case scenario siguro [maybe] is between (negative) one percent and zero. The more upbeat scenario would be a growth rate of between one percent to two percent,” Pernia explained.
Spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the government is in the progress of developing its “gameplan” after April 30.
Nograles noted, however, that there is no final decision yet on whether there will another lockdown or enhanced community quarantine extension by May.
As of April 15, the Philippines recorded 5,453 COVID-19 cases, 349 deaths, and 535 recoveries.