Extended ECQ in NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal could be followed by MECQ if numbers improve
(Eagle News) – Malacanang extended the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) for at least one more week in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal because of the continuing surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the announcement on Saturday night, April 3, after new COVID-19 cases added daily continued to go past 12,000, with over 15,000 cases reported on Friday, April 2.
Roque said that the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) made the recommendation after their meeting on Saturday, April 3, where data on the continuing rise in cases as well as information on the overwhelmed health care capacity particularly in the greater Metro Manila area was noted.
He said that the IATF had recommended to extend the ECQ for a “minimum of one week” in the NCR plus areas. This will be on April 5 until April 11.
“Pahahabain pa po ang Enhanced Community Quarantine ng minimum ng isang linggo sa buong Metro Manila at sa mga probinsya ng Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite at Rizal,” he said.
After the additional one week period, the IATF will again study if there is a need to extend the ECQ further, or if it could already opt for Modified ECQ.
The extension of the ECQ for at least one week is the same recommendation made by the Department of Health and the University of the Philippines OCTA Research.
Roque also announced that the government will be adding at least 110 hospital beds for moderate to severe COVID-19 at the Quezon Institute.
-PDITR: Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Trace, Reintegrate strategy to be intensified-
He said that the local government units will also continue its house-to-house checking to ascertain if there members of the population in their covered areas who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms so that they could be immediately tested for COVID-19 using RT-PCR. If positive, they will then be immediately isolated, quarantined, and local officials will then do the necessary contact-tracing procedures.
Roque said the government will be requiring the local governments to do daily monitoring of COVID-19 cases in their area, as well as intensified contact tracing.
He stressed that the strategy of PDITR or Prevention, Detection, Isolation, Tracing and Reintegration in relation to COVID-19 cases, would be further intensified.
“Kung mapapatunayan nating gumagana ang ating PDITR, ay pupuede naman po tayong mag-MECQ sa susunod na linggo, pero titingnan po muna nating ang resulta ng karagdagang ECQ,” he said.
(Eagle News Service)
