Gov't mulls MECQ in NCR+ next week to reduce COVID-19 cases
Another extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Greater Manila Area next week may be unlikely.Â
The government instead is mulling on imposing a slightly relaxed modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces next week to reduce the country's cases to around 4,000 per day.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque bared Monday the government's possible MECQ option after the two-week implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in National Capital Region Plus.
ECQ, the most restrictive of the four quarantine classifications to curb the outbreak, has been extended in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal from April 5 to April 11 due to the rapid surge in coronavirus cases and high critical care utilization rate. The strict lockdown, which includes a stay-at-home rule except for essential needs and a ban on mass gatherings, was first implemented from March 29 to April 4.
MECQ is the second most restrictive of the quarantine levels, followed by general community quarantine (GCQ) and the most relaxed modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
"We're following a model. Prior to the ECQ, we had a one-week travel bubble in NCR Plus and we are looking at another MECQ after this week assuming our prevention, detection, isolation and tracing strategies will work," Roque said over CNN Philippines Monday, April 5.
"If the PDITR (Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate) strategies work, at the end of the two-week ECQ and another week of MECQ, we should be looking around 4,000 cases daily," he added.
According to Roque, the estimated 4,658 in coronavirus cases would be a "tremendous reduction" from the 12,000 cases reported recently.
He explained that the government resorted to ECQ extension this week after the average daily attack rate and health care capacity in NCR Plus remained at "critical levels."
"The additional ECQ was imperative in order to allow our health workers some breathing space because the sharp increase in cases of course resulted in tremendous increase in moderate and serious case that required hospitalization," he said.
The country has seen a staggering increase in daily cases in recent days, bringing the total number to 795,051 as of April 4. More than 11,000 new cases were reported Sunday while the death toll soared to 13,425.
During the two-week ECQ, Roque said it was "indispensable" to intensify efforts to trace, test, isolate, and treat people with the coronavirus to slow down the transmission. He said local government units were given a scorecard to measure the implementation of these anti-COVID-19 strategies.