Duterte to listen to expert opinions on whether to lift or extend Luzon-wide quarantine —Nograles

President Rodrigo Duterte will take into account expert opinions before deciding whether the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon will be lifted or extended, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Monday. 

The Luzon-wide quarantine is set to end on April 13 with some government officials calling for at least a two-week extension so as not to wipe out the gains that have been achieved so far in curbing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). 

“'Di ko po masasabi ngayon kung kailan nila ia-announce ang desisyon tungkol sa ECQ, pero makakasiguro kayo na sa desisyon na ito, papakinggan po ng IATF at ni Pangulong Duterte ang lahat ng mga experts bago makarating sa napakaimportanteng desisyon na ito,” Nograles said in a virtual press conference.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has set five parameters on whether to recommend the total or partial lifting, or the possible extension of the quarantine to the President. 

These factors are: 

• Trends in the COVID-19 epidemiological curve, which include, among others, the doubling time, acceleration, or deceleration of new cases
• 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
• Social factors
• Economic factors
• Security factors

“He is evaluating the best option to take that will effectively ensure the success of our war against this wily and faceless global enemy. He will make his decision in due time,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Sunday. 

“In the meantime, we call on our countrymen to be steadfast in our commitment to take care of each other in this imminent threat to our nation’s survival.”

The Philippines has so far reported 3,246 COVID-19 cases with 152 deaths and 64 recoveries.

READ: COVID-19 Dashboard: Summary of Cases in the Philippines

—KG, GMA News