By Noreen Jazul
The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said it's too early to decide on whether the enhanced community quarantine should be lifted or extended.
Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (Facebook)
In an interview with DZBB, health chief Francisco Duque III said the extension or lifting of the ECQ will depend on the “correct status” of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in the country.
“Iyong testing ang cornerstone sa pagbibigay basehan sa desisyon,” he added.
Duque also noted that China until now has yet to fully lift the lockdown imposed in Wuhan, and the entire Hubei province, which was the former epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“Ang umpisa ng lockdown nila January 23...’di pa lifted completely ‘yung lockdown nila after two months. In other words, kahit single digit na lang ‘yung kanilang reported cases, di pa rin po sila nag complete lift ng lockdown,” Duque said.
“Nung nag-lockdown sila ng January 23, three weeks saka lang nag peak yung kanilang COVID cases,” he continued, adding that the cases in China also decreased by the first week of March.
Meanwhile, Duque said the fatality rate of COVID-19 in the country has decreased from 8% to 5%.
As of Sunday, a total of the country has recorded 1,418 COVID-19 cases, with 71 deaths.