Malacañang thanked on Friday people for their understanding as shown by the results of latest survey where most Filipinos expressed support in the lockdown enforced by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus disease.

In the Social Weather Stations 2020 COVID-19 Mobile Phone survey conducted on May 4-10, it showed that 84 percent of Filipinos believe that strict stay-at-home measures due to coronavirus “are worth it to protect people and limit the spread of the virus.”

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte has acted “decisively” when he imposed an enhanced community quarantine and stringent social distancing measures over the whole of Luzon following the sharp increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

“The decision, we have to stress, is not an easy one because as we protect the health and safety of our people, the means of livelihood and the economy have been greatly affected.  We thus thank our people for understanding the consequences of this presidential directive,’ he said.

Roque said the Palace is confident that the nation will be on economic rebound as long as people continue to heed the advice of the authorities to observe minimum public health standards, such as staying at home, observing proper hygiene, wearing of face mask and maintaining physical and social distancing. Celerina Monte/DMS