The government’s “enhanced community quarantine” (ECQ) is a lockdown for the entire Luzon island group, nearly the kind that was imposed on the former epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic — Wuhan, China — on January 23, and the next day on the entire Hubei province. That Chinese response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic adheres to the dictionary meaning of “lockdown,” a state of isolation or restricted access. If it looks like you’re overreacting, you’re probably doing the right thing.”Yes, when Wuhan was put on lockdown on January 23, all of China had 574 confirmed cases. Spain, now the second most infected country in Europe with 21,157 cumulative cases and 1,522 reported on March 15, ordered a lockdown only on March 14. The news photos of obviously poor people waiting for rides or just deciding to walk to their work are heart-rending.

Source: Manila Times March 17, 2020 16:07 UTC