The Department of Health (DOH) recommended the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) by at least two weeks to help diminish the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained during a House panel inquiry that Covid-19 infections have spiked consistently in previous weeks.
Vergeire added that Covid-19 infections surge in the National Capital Region and Calabarzon were faster than the surge in cases in August 2020.
“We may see a continuous decline of cases by further extending ECQ for more than two weeks or two more weeks as well as marked improvements in our minimum public health standard adherence and shortening the delays in the detection, testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine,” Vergeire said.
Earlier, she proposed a one-week extension of the ECQ, explaining that an assessment of the progress of the current quarantine status will be declared before the one week ECQ ends.
Meanwhile, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that ECQ extension in NCR and nearby areas would be the government’s last card in solving the spike of Covid-19 infections.
Roque added that the Inter-Agency Task Force would convene on Black Saturday, April 3, to discuss whether the ECQ will be extended or not. Ronald dela Cruz