Active COVID-19 cases could reach 525,000 by end-September if NCR won't be placed under ECQ —Palace

Malacañang on Thursday said active COVID-19 cases in the country could reach 525,000 by the end of September if the National Capital Region will not be placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the warning given that Metro Manila will be under ECQ, the strictest quarantine classification, for the third time since March 2020.

“The projections we have is that we will have active 525,000 COVID-19 cases by end of September [if we keep our current quarantine classifications]. We cannot let that happen because we do not have enough hospitals,” Roque told a press briefing.

“Kaya po tayo magla-lockdown para hindi mamatay ang ating mga kababayan. Mahirap, magastos, pero ito po ay kinakailangan para maprotektahan ang ating mga kababayan,” he added.

(That is why we are going on lockdown so we won’t have many fatalities. This is tough, it costs a lot, but it is what we need to do to protect our people.)

The ECQ in NCR was declared amid the threat of the more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant. Experts say variant, which was first detected in India, can infect five to eight people in one setting.

Under ECQ, only essential trips and services are allowed. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año has earlier said forthcoming ECQ will be "stricter."

As of August 4, the active COVID-19 cases in the country was at  63,171, of which 94.1% are mild, 1.3% are asymptomatic, 2% are severe, and 1.2% are in critical condition, according to the Department of Health. —KBK, GMA News