Vergeire: Marcos won't lift state of emergency due to COVID-19 yet

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will not immediately lift the state of public health emergency due to COVID-19, Department of Health officer in charge Ma. Rosario Vergeire said on Friday.

Asked if Marcos will lift the state of public health emergency following a meeting with World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Vergeire said, “I don’t think that there would be that kind of concept.”

“Dr. Tedros told the President that there was a recent meeting among the higher officials of the WHO which decides on this public health emergency and he specifically told the President in the recent meeting the vote was to still continue on with the public health emergency,” Tedros said.

“Not yet at this time. He told that to the President and the President said ‘yes we understand,’” he added.

Vergeire said the President was still looking at the matter which maybe would be discussed in the following months.

The DOH OIC said Marcos believed and used the guidance of the WHO officials.

“And I think the President would do this gradually… and of course he is trying to balance also. So, I don’t think there is this kind of thinking already right now immediately. Maybe in the coming months that will again discussed but the president believes and also uses the guide given by experts like Dr. Tedros,” Vergeire said. —NB, GMA News