The Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region (NCR) could be extended due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
However, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) would still discuss this.
“Nandiyan lagi ‘yung posibilidad because based on our projections, kahit magkaroon tayo ng dalawang linggong ECQ, patuloy pong tataas ang mga kaso natin,” she said in an interview on Unang Balita.
(There is always that possibility because, based on our projections, even if we have two weeks of ECQ, the number of COVID-19 cases will continue to rise.)
“Ang atin po lang objective for this ECQ is for us to prepare the system para mas ma-manage natin itong ganitong klaseng sitwasyon,” Vergeire added.
(Our objective for this ECQ is to prepare the system so we can better manage this kind of situation.)
“As to the extension of ECQ, of course, ito po ay pag-uusapan sa IATF (this will be discussed by the IATF),” she said.
ECQ extension possible if cases continue to increase: DOH
Vergeire said that a lockdown is not the only recourse.
“But based on what’s happening right now at ang patuloy na pagtaas ng kaso, hindi lang po ang lockdown ang dapat asahan natin and government is gearing towards that,” she said.
(But based on what’s happening right now and with the continued rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, it is not just lockdown that we should resort to. So the government is gearing towards that.)
The DOH official explained that other measures need to be done too.
“Kailangan nating paigtingin ‘yung iba pa nating ginagawa sa response so that economically hindi rin tayo masyadong ma-burden,” she said.
(We need to continue with our other response measures so that economically, we are not burdened that much.)
“So pag-uusapan ho lahat ‘yan sa IATF (So all of these will be discussed by the IATF),” Vergeire said.
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