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Duterte tells IATF to act on medical community’s plea for return to ECQ —Palace


The plea of the medical community to place the National Capital Region back under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) did not after all fall on deaf ears.

“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has heard the concerns of the medical community and the Chief Executive has directed the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to act on these concerns immediately,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said.

“Your voices have been heard. We cannot afford to let down our modern heroes,” he said. “This is our commitment.”

The Palace’s latest statement is change of heart from its earlier remark that “strict lockdown in Metro Manila has served its purpose.” 

This was in reaction to various medical groups’ plea to Duterte to place the NCR under ECQ anew as health workers are already worn out due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases being admitted in hospitals.

“The suggestion will be discussed by the IATF anew,” Roque said.

Philippine College of Physicians vice president Dr. Maricar Limpin said NCR’s return to ECQ “even for just two weeks” is to give health workers a time to recuperate from exhaustion due to the non-stop admission of COVID-19 patients in hospitals.

“The Palace considers our skilled, tireless and dedicated healthcare workers as important frontliners in the battle against COVID-19. We are grateful for their immense contributions to heal our people and our nation during these difficult times,” Roque said.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez has already said Metro Manila - the country’s economic center - should not be placed under ECQ again, saying that doing so was “damaging” to people’s health with “unemployment and poverty affecting health and wellness and nutrition intake.”

Senators are divided on the issue, but so far, more are on the side of the health workers. A number of them urged the government to consider the request, while Sen. Cynthia Villar, like Lopez, said the economy can longer afford to be shut down anew. -MDM, GMA News

Tags: covid-19
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