By Argyll Cyrus Geducos Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said lifting, extending, or expanding the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) will not be an easy decision to make as there are a lot of factors to be considered. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles (Photo from Karlo Nograles / Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Nograles made the statement six days before the ECQ lapses on Easter Sunday. In his virtual presser, Nograles acknowledged the importance of making a recommendation whether to lift, extend, or expand the lockdown. "We have to make a decision and we have to make it as soon as possible," he said Monday. "It will not be an easy decision, napakahirap po, it’s very, very difficult, only because ang daming factors na kailangan namin tingnan: kapakanan ng taumbayan, ang (there are a lot of factors that we need to look at: the welfare of the public, the) health, economic, social, security, medical," he added. Nograles, however, appealed to the public to support whatever President Duterte's decision about the fate of the ECQ will be. "Suportahan natin dahil hindi naman ito gawa-gawa lamang o kinuha lang namin kung saan-saan. Ito po ay dala ng masinsinang pag-aaral ng lahat ng mga eksperto na nariyan (Let's support the decision because this is not based on made-up facts. This was strictly studied by our experts)," he said. According to Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, President Duterte was seriously evaluating the recommendations before making his decision on the ECQ. "The President is seriously evaluating the inputs and suggestions given by various sectors of society for either the extension or the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine or lockdown and will take the best option that will purge us of this pandemic disease. He will announce his decision very soon," he said. He, however, said Duterte was appealing to the public to take the COVID-19 situation seriously and follow the protocols set by the IATF. "They were placed there for the protection and survival of everyone. Any transgressor will be dealt with in accordance with the law," Panelo said. Nograles earlier said that an IATF sub-technical working group headed by the Department of Health (DOH) was directed to convene all concerned agencies and to finalize the aggregation and analysis of all relevant data applicable to the contained area. The parameters adopted by the IATF for deciding on the total or partial lifting or the possible extension or expansion of the ECQ are: 1. Trends in the COVID-19 epidemiological curve, which include, among others, the doubling time, acceleration, or deceleration of new cases; 2. Capacity of the health care system, which includes, among others, the number and availability of quarantine, isolation, and treatment facilities; the capability to mount contact tracing; availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to frontliners, and the testing capacity of the country; 3. Social factors; 4. Economic factors; and 5. Security factors. Luzon is under an enhanced community quarantine until April 12 due to the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). To date, the country has reported 3,246 COVID-19 cases, 64 of whom recovered while 152 died.