MANILA, Philippines –
President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to place Metro Manila and four nearby provinces or the so-called “NCR Plus" under more lenient modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
The new community quarantine classification will take effect on Monday, April 12 until the end of the month.
READ: EXPLAINER: MECQ 2021 guidelines
The new community quarantine classification will take effect on Monday, April 12 until the end of the month.
READ: EXPLAINER: MECQ 2021 guidelines
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who tested positive for COVID-19 again, announced the decision of the president on Sunday while he is in the hospital for the treatment of the infection.
Earlier, Roque said the president was weighing the pros and cons before making final decision and he said to review pertinent information such as Health Care Utilization Rate (HCUR) of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country, NCR Plus was placed under the most restrictive enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) since March 29.
SEE ALSO: New curfew hours for NCR under MECQ out
Roque said the shift to a more relaxed quarantine status depends on whether the government’s Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategies have shown significant improvements in lowering daily COVID-19 infections.
He noted that a two-week ECQ followed by a week-long MECQ is expected to slash daily COVID-19 infection by around 4,000 a day.
Roque said the government decided to extend the initial weeklong ECQ to another week to maintain the critical care capacity of the country’s hospitals.
Quirino province, Santiago City, Isabela and Abra are also under modified ECQ from April 12 to 30.
The less restrictive general community quarantine (GCQ) is imposed in Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Batangas, Tacloban City, Iligan City, Davao City, and Lanao del Sur for the whole of April. Quezon province was added to the list, with GCQ until month end as well.
The rest of the country is under modified GCQ, the most relaxed quarantine status.
On Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 11,681 additional infections. It brings the total caseload to 864,868.
The health department also announced 55,204 new recoveries and 201 fatalities from the disease.
The upward trend in COVID-19 cases is driven by new variants, the government said.
— The Summit Express
Earlier, Roque said the president was weighing the pros and cons before making final decision and he said to review pertinent information such as Health Care Utilization Rate (HCUR) of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country, NCR Plus was placed under the most restrictive enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) since March 29.
SEE ALSO: New curfew hours for NCR under MECQ out
Roque said the shift to a more relaxed quarantine status depends on whether the government’s Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategies have shown significant improvements in lowering daily COVID-19 infections.
He noted that a two-week ECQ followed by a week-long MECQ is expected to slash daily COVID-19 infection by around 4,000 a day.
Roque said the government decided to extend the initial weeklong ECQ to another week to maintain the critical care capacity of the country’s hospitals.
Quirino province, Santiago City, Isabela and Abra are also under modified ECQ from April 12 to 30.
The less restrictive general community quarantine (GCQ) is imposed in Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Batangas, Tacloban City, Iligan City, Davao City, and Lanao del Sur for the whole of April. Quezon province was added to the list, with GCQ until month end as well.
The rest of the country is under modified GCQ, the most relaxed quarantine status.
On Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 11,681 additional infections. It brings the total caseload to 864,868.
The health department also announced 55,204 new recoveries and 201 fatalities from the disease.
The upward trend in COVID-19 cases is driven by new variants, the government said.
— The Summit Express
