By John Ezekiel J. Hirro
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte talks to the people after holding a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on August 2, 2020. KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte has reimposed the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal from Aug. 4 to 18, following frontliners’ plea for a “time out” amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The shift will take effect on Tuesday midnight.
The recommendation was forwarded to Duterte by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who had met with doctor and frontliner groups, Covid-19 task forces and Cabinet members over the weekend.
The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) in a letter addressed to Duterte, Duque and National Task Force Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez on Saturday proposed to revert the capital region to ECQ for 15 days, from Aug. 1-15.
“Hospitals in (Metro Manila) are being overwhelmed by the alarming increase of Covid-19 cases these past weeks. The workforce is again effectively reduced because of the need for intermittent quarantine of personnel and isolation of many who have fallen ill,” PCP’s letter read.
Right after, select Cabinet members, including Duque, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, talked with representatives of the Philippine Medical Association, the Philippine Nurses Association, and the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists.
MECQ will limit public transport, physical workforce of businesses and establishments and inter-area movement, among others.
Duterte also approved the Cabinet’s recommendation to issue work and quarantine passes to minimize movement.
Additionally, local government units were directed to intensify the localized lockdown strategy and the implementation of Oplan Kalinga.
The country’s Covid-19 total rose to 103,185 on Sunday after 5,032 new cases were recorded.
Of the number, 35,569 were active cases, of which 90.2 percent were “mild,” 8.2 percent were “asymptomatic,” or showing no symptoms, 1 percent were “severe” and 0.7 percent were “critical.”
As of Aug. 2, 52 percent of isolation beds, 56 percent of intensive care unit beds and 56 percent of ward beds were occupied.