Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 is alarmed by the increase of the number of suicides during months the world is grappling with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“I received a phone call today (Aug. 22) from Sec. Carlito Galvez, chief implementor of the IATF national task force, regarding the alarming increase in the number of suicides during these pandemic times,” Guevarra told reporters on Saturday.

Guevarra sought the help of the churches and spiritual leaders in providing counsel and guidance to their members and followers who are undergoing depression due to loss of employment or livelihood, anxiety of being afflicted with or dying from the dreaded disease, loneliness arising from isolation, and lack of hope for a return to their normal lives.

“I share Sec. Galvez’s concern and respectfully request our spiritual leaders to bring this much-needed message of hope to our suffering countrymen in order to stave off more incidents of self-destruction,” Guevarra said.

The government’s call has been forwarded to all religious groups, Guevarra said.

On Saturday, health authorities reported 4,933 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the country’s tally to 187,249.

The total number of cases worldwide had climbed to 22.98 million, with 14.76 million recoveries, according to a running tally by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The worldwide infection death toll from the virus has reached 800,000 as of Saturday, the data showed. (PNA)