Metro Manila may return to stricter quarantine level if cases hit 85k by end of July

In a press briefing yesterday, July 22, 2020, presidential spokesperson said that the Philippines’ capital may revert back to a stricter quarantine if coronavirus cases reach 85,000 by July 31. Under a stricter quarantine level, businesses can only operate up to 50% and limitations to transport services will continue.

Editor’s Note: This is what happens when governments use infection cases as basis for decision making – it causes misplaced panic and has the potential to cause greater suffering of citizens. 

This article reminds us of Germany in May. When Germany reopened, threat of renewed lockdowns made headlines as infection rates rose. But the German government, having installed precautionary systems and a more robust reporting mechanism previously, soon discovered the source of infection. It did not need to reimpose shelter-in-place policies.