MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the Luzon-wide “enhanced community quarantine” (ECQ) until the end of the month to further curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.
This after Duterte on Monday approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) extending the ECQ until 11:59 p.m. of April 30.
Cabinet Secretary and IATF spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a virtual press conference on Tuesday said that the ECQ extension is needed as the clear effects of the ECQ will only be seen by mid-April.
“You need to give us until mid-April to really study the effect of ECQ,” Nograles said. “Kaya humihingi tayo ng extension until April 30 para ma-measure ang effect ng ECQ at ma-increase ang health capacity.”
“When we say increasing health capacity, kasama diyan yung tungkol sa testing,” he added. “We need to have 24-hour turnaround time. Kailangan ma-report natin sa pasyente kung siya ay positive or negative within a day.”
Nograles further said that measures are now being undertaken for the Department of Health (DOH) to conduct 13,000 to 20,000 tests per day by late April. He also noted that social distancing is still needed even if the ECQ is lifted by the end of the month.
“Kapag ni-lift natin ang ECQ on April 14, sisipa uli ‘yang confirmed cases,” Nograles said. “By April 30, kailangan pa rin ang social distancing. The new normal is social, physical distancing pa din.”
“Kapag wala ang disiplinang ‘yan, useless ang sakripisyo natin,” the Cabinet Secretary added. “Kapag nagkaroon na ng vaccine about diyan sa virus, we can go back to the old normal.”
The Luzon-wide ECQ over the COVID-19 outbreak was declared by President Duterte on March 16 and was supposed to expire midnight of April 13.
With ECQ extension under consideration, the over 57 million people living in Luzon’s movement will remain severely restricted, with them only being allowed to leave their homes for other essential movements, including buying food.
The quarantine, which left many Filipinos without income, has caused the government to cough up more than P270 billion in social assistance funds for the poorest of the poor and low-income households./PN
