Cebu City remains under ECQ due to hike in COVID-19 cases, NCR under GCQ

Cebu City will remain under enhanced community quarantine, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has said.

In a briefing aired at past midnight on Wednesday, Duque on President Rodrigo Duterte's instructions also ticked off the areas which will be under general community quarantine.

These are Metro Manila, Benguet, Cavite, Rizal, Leyte, Ormoc and Southern Leyte; Lapu-lapu City, Mandaue City, Talisay , Minglanilla, and Consolacion in Cebu province.

"Mayroong malaking pagtaas ng bagong kaso ng COVID-19 at noong nagpasya ang [Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases] at inarubahan nyo, ang case doubling time ng Cebu, napakamaiksi ang panahon ," Duque said when asked by Duterte why Cebu City remained under ECQ.

"Below 7 that puts them at high risk," he added of Cebu City's case-doubling time.  

Duque said that the city's health system capacity had been "overwhelmed."

Meanwhile, Duterte said he observed that residents of Cebu were "nonchalant" during the critical days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Ang nahalata ko kaso sa Cebu, nonchalant sila during the critical days sa pag-putok nito. People were partying, gambling outside of their houses in Talisay... basta para sa kanila baliwala," Duterte said.

"And sabi ko nga kayong mga Cebuano, 'wag kayong magalit sa akin... I am a Cebuano and I have every reason to be concerned about the welfare of the province of my father," he added.

Duterte said the designation of levels of community quarantine in certain areas will be reviewed constantly.

"This is a very dynamic thing it can change every day depending on the numbers and of course upon the assessment of our health authorities," Duterte said.-NB, GMA News