President Duterte said there is no need for the public to be hysterical about the confirmed cases of the dreaded 2019-novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) in the country, expressing belief that there is always a solution to any problem.
In a press briefing after an emergency meeting to discuss recent developments regarding the virus, President Duterte said having two confirmed cases was not something that should alarm the public.
“Everything is well in the country. There’s nothing really to be extra scared of that coronavirus thing. Although it has affected a lot of countries but, you know, one or two in a country is not really that fearsome,” he said Monday evening.
Duterte noted how the virus scared people all over the world. He said there was no need for people to panic about it.
“This coronavirus is scaring people all over. The response of the people from the initial reports of the coronavirus was almost hysterical when there was really no need for it, actually,” he said.
“If there is really a virus going around, why do you have to be hysterical? Why don’t you just go to the hospital and have yourself treated?” he added.
The President then expressed confidence that the Philippines will overcome the threat of the virus, saying it will eventually “die on its own.”
“Tayo ang most resilient. Palagay ko hindi aabot dito ‘yan.” Duterte said.
“Keep faith with humanity. Do not fear a pandemic. SARS also disappeared suddenly. It has a life-span and it loses steam because people over time also acquire immunity,” he added.
“Kagaya ng SARS, I assure you, even without vaccines, it will just die a natural death,” he continued. (Argyll Geducos)