The implementation of a two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in some parts of the country resulted to a better equipped healthcare system and apprehension of over 600,000 individuals who violated the minimum public health standards (MPHS) on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

This assessment was made by National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 Chairman and Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a pre-recorded Cabinet meeting presided by President Duterte which aired on Tuesday night, Aug. 24.

Lorenzana said an additional 10,157 healthcare professionals were hired by the government to serve in the frontlines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Buffer supplies and logisitics support amounting to P608.3 million were also given to various hospitals.

He said the cumulative bed capacity in isolation facilities has also reached 216,871 while there were 91,263 beds in quarantine facilities of the Department of Health (DOH), local government units (LGUs), and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Meanwhile, 106,513 contact tracers were trained by the government to improve the country's capability to locate close contacts of COVID-19 patients and determine if they are virus-carriers.

As hospitals were swamped by COVID-19 patients, telemedecine services were also made available for residents in 487 LGUs in seven regions so they can get consulted without having the need to line up in medical facilities.

These were located in the National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos (Region 1), MIMAROPA which covers Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan (Region 4B), Bicol (Region V), Western Visayas (Region VI), and Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9).

A total of 637,796 individuals were caught by law enforcement units violating the MPHS from Aug. 6 to 22 such as non-wearing or improper use of face masks and non-observance of social distancing among others.

There were 78,357 individuals who were denied entry to ECQ areas as part of stricter border control measures and 33,224 individuals who were flagged at checkpoints due to absence of documents proving they are authorized persons outside of residence (APORs) or essential workers.

More than 1.1 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 273,756 overseas Filipinos (OFs) who have been affected by the global health crisis have since been repatriated by the government.

Lorenzana said 18,396 OFWs were swabbed from Aug. 16 to 21 where 909 of them tested positive for COVID-19. They were immediately isolated in government-owned facilities.

Further, 58,078 beds (86 percent) out of the total 65,745 beds in quarantine facilities and hotels intended for returning OFWs and OFs have already been occupied as of Aug. 22.

The government eased the quarantine restriction in NCR, Laguna, and Bataan to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until August 31 after they were placed under a two-week ECQ from Aug. 6 to 21 due to the rising COVID-19 cases.