Almost 50% comfortable going to work, church once community quarantine ends in August

July 31, 2020

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Friday said almost 50 percent of Filipinos are comfortable going to work and church once the community quarantine ends by August.

In its latest survey conducted last July 3 to 6, SWS found 55 percent feel comfortable while 40 percent were uncomfortable about going to work.

The survey also found that 45 percent of adults feel comfortable while 54 percent feel uncomfortable about attending religious services, such as going to church or mosque.

SWS said among those with jobs, most respondents who said they feel comfortable came from Mindanao at 64 percent, followed by Balance Luzon at 55 percent, Visayas at 50 percent, and Metro Manila at 45 percent.

“It was higher among working men (60%) than among working women (47 percent),” it said.

In case the lockdown ends next month, the proportion of those comfortable about attending religious services is highest in Mindanao at 56 percent, followed by the Visayas at 47 percent, Balance Luzon at 40 percent, and Metro Manila at 39 percent and hardly varied among men at 46 percent and women 44 percent.

 “Muslims and Iglesia ni Cristos are more comfortable about attending religious services,” according to the survey. 

SWS said those comfortable about attending religious services were higher among Muslims at 71 percent and Iglesia ni Cristos at 58 percent while Christians were recorded at 47 percent, non-Christian religions at 42 percent, and Roman Catholics at 41 percent.

  On July 30, President Rodrigo Duterte placed Cebu City, Metro Manila and a few other places in the country, under general community quarantine starting August 1 to arrest the spread of coronavirus disease. The rest of the country will be under modified general community quarantine. DMS