MANILA, Philippines 鈥� President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday reminded the public to strictly observe minimum health protocols to curb the transmission of COVID-19 amid the recent surge of cases of the deadly respiratory disease.
Duterte blamed noncompliance with health protocols for the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
鈥淲ell, what鈥檚 the reason for this? Well, those who don鈥檛 believe in social distancing, those who don鈥檛 believe in personal hygiene,鈥� he said speaking partly in Filipino, in his pre-recorded weekly public address.
鈥淲hat the doctors are asking for your own benefit is wash your hands, cover yourself with a mask, clean your hands,鈥� he added.
He reminded the public to observe social distancing, wear face masks and face shields, always wash hands, and avoid coughing in public.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no other solution,鈥� he said, noting that the coronavirus could easily be transmitted.
He also suggested, as he did in July 2020, that gasoline could be used as a COVID-19 disinfectant.
鈥淎s I told you, go to a gasoline station. I鈥檓 not trying to make you laugh,鈥� he said.
He suggested asking a gasoline station attendant for some fuel for handwashing.
In the same briefing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said his department had noted an increase of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Central Luzon, and Central Visayas.
Pasay and Malabon were already tagged as 鈥渃ritical risk鈥� areas, while Navotas, Makati, and San Juan were tagged as 鈥渉igh risk.鈥�
In health care utilization rates, Central Visayas and Cordillera Administrative Region posted the highest, with 48% and 47%, respectively.
National government officials also met with Metro Manila mayors last Saturday to discuss actions that could be taken to curb the increase in COVID-19 cases, according to Duque.
On Monday, the number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded the 3,000-mark for the fourth consecutive day, bringing the total of cases to more than 597,000.
The Octa Research team earlier warned that the Philippines might see 5,000 to 6,000 new COVID-19 cases per day by the end of March.