NCR MECQ to help provinces focus on LSIs –Bangsamoro assemblyman

Bangsamoro parliament member Zia Alonto Adiong on Tuesday welcomed the temporary halt on incoming flights from Metro Manila after its return to a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) as it would allow provinces to focus on returnees already under their care.

In a statement posted on his Facebook account, Adiong said the two-week MECQ in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces would also allow medical frontliners in the provinces to take a break.

"[The] temporary pause on outbound flights from Manila brought by the latest MECQ declaration over the NCR reduces the number of arriving LSIs (locally-stranded individuals) and ROFs (returning overseas Filipinos), thus, granting us the time to recalibrate our strategies and deal with the number of returnees already under the care of our local government and health units," he said.

"This would also provide the time needed by our medical workers and frontliners to regain strength as we proceed on to full-speed responses once the MECQ status of NCR is lifted after its 14-day effect," he added.

Adiong, who also serves as spokesperson for the Lanao Del Sur Inter-Agency Task Force against COVID-19, said an average of 100 people arrived in their area every day.

Even during Eid Al Adha on July 31, a total of 156 LSIs and ROFs arrived, he added.

"We will use this time to allow our frontliners to rest, recalibrate our interventions and re-assess our data while trying to regain our strength to better our emergency responses," Adiong said.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday placed Metro Manila and surrounding provinces under a MECQ beginning August 4 in response to the call of the medical community as health workers were exhausted from the increasing number of COVID-19 cases being brought to hospitals.

As of August 3, a total of 106,330 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Philippines, with 2,104 deaths and 65,821 recoveries. — DVM, GMA News