Metro mayors react after getting the ECQ they've been asking for

The Metro Manila mayors, through Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos, has expressed their appreciation to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) for heeding their calls for the reimposition of an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region (NCR).

"The Metro Manila mayors are grateful to the Inter-agency Task Force for its prompt and appropriate action the decision to implement general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened and additional restrictions starting today, July 30 until August 5 and enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20," Abalos said in a statement on Friday, July 30.

"The imposition of this quarantine classification is timely, thanks to the national government for granting our request," Abalos said.

For the past few days, the mayor-members of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) have been prodding the national government to consider bringing back ECQ amid the threat posed by the Delta variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

"The graph presented by Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque clearly shows that the COVID-19 Delta variant is more transmissible and can spread exponentially if we are complacent and remained on status quo," Abalos said.

It was Roque who made the announcement regarding the impending ECQ implementation earlier Friday. The ECQ is the strictest lockdown protocol against COVID-19.

"The , knowing fully well that restrictions and quarantine status are not enough to further combat the virus, will meet tonight to discuss necessary courses of action to further curb and mitigate the spread of Delta variant and achieve notable accomplishments within the two-week ECQ period," Abalos said.

The MMDA head honcho said the 17 Metro LGUs will intensify their vaccination programs, "inoculating as many as possible daily, to achieve population protection the soonest possible time in the NCR, it being the center of the pandemic."

"With these, I appeal to everyone to be part of the solution and help the government as we cannot do it on our own. Cooperation is needed to attain our goals. Simply staying at home will be a big boost to our efforts," he said.

The MMC is the policy-making body of the MMDA.