Duterte adviser confident ECQ will be lifted on May 15

Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship Jose Ma. "Joey" Concepcion on Monday said he is confident that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) would be lifted on May 15, but added this could only be realized if testing for COVID-19 is optimized.

According to Concepcion, it is likely that the ECQ -- which has already been extended two times -- will lapse on May 15, two months after it was first ordered on March 17.

"We want the ECQ to be lifted on May 15. I think 'yung chance na mangyari 'yan mataas. I'm confident na mangyayari 'yan. I believe we will lift the ECQ, I personally," he said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

According to Concepcion, even China -- which first detected COVID-19 -- was under quarantine for only two months. He said restarting the economy by then should happen.

"This is only my guess. I'm not saying it's 100% [but] I believe it will happen," he said, but noted that "we might be the first country to hit more than two months, but sa tingin ko hindi."

Concepcion said for this to be realized, mass testing for the coronavirus should be increased to an optimal 28,000 tests per day using the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

"At 28,000 a day of testing using the RT-PCR, then they can allow maximum already economic activities, pero no leisure activities," he said, noting mass gatherings.

Concepcion said this is achievable given that imports of the private sector covering some 300,000 to 500,000 test kits are scheduled to arrive by May 15.

"To me, dapat even the non-essentials dapat mag-restart na rin 'yan. Marami rin 'yan and then 'yung construction rin, 'yung mga hindi naman delikado kasi open area naman, so we should allow them to start construction, that's important," he said. --KBK, GMA News