SWS: 3.5M Filipinos stranded in July due to Covid-19 lockdown

AROUND 3.5 million Filipinos of working age were left stranded due to community quarantine measures implemented across the country to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The mobile phone survey from July 3 to 6 among 1,555 respondents showed that 5.1 percent of working-age Filipinos or those 18 years old and above were not staying at their permanent residence during lockdown.

This represents 3.5 percent of the country’s working-age population at 69.5 million, according to the SWS.

“This is almost the same as, though a slight 0.3 point below, the 5.4 percent (estimated 4.1 million) working-age persons (15 years old and above) stranded by community quarantines in May 2020,” SWS said.

“The differences are not statistically significant between these two probability samples,” the polling firm added.

Of those stranded in other places because of the community quarantines, Mindanao recorded the highest number at 8 percent or about 1.3 million.

They were followed by those whose permanent homes are in Visayas at 5.9 percent or 770,000; Balance Luzon, 4.1 percent or 1.3 million and Metro Manila, 2.1 percent or 200,000.

SWS said the July 2020 figures were not statistically different from May 2020, when those stranded by community quarantines were 6.4 percent among those whose permanent homes were in Mindanao, 5.3 percent in Balance Luzon, 5.0 percent in Visayas, and 4.8 percent in Metro Manila.

The proportion of those stranded by community quarantines was higher at 6.5 percent (estimated 2.3 million) among men than the 3.6 percent (estimated 1.3 million) among women.

By age group, those stranded by quarantines were 9.1 percent (estimated 790,000) among the 18-24 year olds, compared to 6.6 percent (estimated 1.1 million) among the 25-34 year olds, 3.9 percent (estimated 670,000) among the 35-44 year olds, 3.7 percent (estimated 490,000) among the 45-54 year olds, and 3.3 percent (estimated 440,000) among those 55 years old and above.

The proportion of those stranded by community quarantines were 6.9 percent (estimated 820,000) among college graduates, compared to 5.4 percent (estimated 1.2 million) among junior high school graduates, 5.1 percent (estimated 870,000) among those with some college, 4.4 percent (estimated 160,000) among non-elementary graduates, and 3.1 percent (estimated 470,000) among elementary graduates.

The SWS survey, conducted using mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interview, had sampling error margins of ±2 percent for national percentages, ±6 percent for Metro Manila, and ±5 percent for Balance Luzon, ±5 percent for the Visayas, and ±5 percent for Mindanao.

To curb the spread of Covid-19 in the country, the National Capital Region (NCR) and other regions were placed by the government under enhanced community quarantine in mid-March.

In the NCR and other areas, quarantine restrictions were eased to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status in mid-May and then to a more relaxed GCQ on June 1.

President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the Cabinet’s recommendation to bring back Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal and Cavite under MECQ status from August 4 to 18 to limit the spread of the coronavirus infections.

The MECQ lockdown includes home quarantine except for essential work and other activities, limited business operations, suspension of public transportation, ban on domestic travel, and restriction on certain mass gatherings.

The move to put key areas under MECQ came after medical frontliners’ distress call to implement stricter quarantine measures to arrest the rapid spread of the coronavirus and unburden the overwhelmed hospitals.

The Philippines went past 112,000 in coronavirus cases as of Tuesday. These include 2,115 deaths and 66,049 recoveries.

Source: TheManila Times