Effect of MECQ on COVID-19 cases in NCR, nearby provinces to be felt in 2-3 weeks – Palace

August 10, 2020

Malacañang said on Monday the effect of the implementation of the modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and nearby provinces on coronavirus disease cases could only be felt by September.

Quoting the health experts, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days.

"We understand that the effects of the recent implementation of modified enhanced (community) quarantine measures in the National Capital Region and nearby areas would be felt two to three weeks after its enforcement," he said in a statement.

After the 14-day incubation period, he said there is a need to wait for that time to ascertain the health impact of the MECQ classification.

Ted Herbosa, special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, in the "Tapatan" media forum, said there is still a need of one to two weeks before the impact of MECQ in Metro Manila and Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal can be determined.

'There's a lag of one to two weeks," he said, noting that the incubation period for COVID-19 is four or five days and once tested, a few more days are needed to confirm it.

Meanwhile, on the proposal to enforce MECQ in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces for one month, Roque said it will be up to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to decide on the matter.

"It entails a delicate balancing of protecting and saving people's health to protecting and saving the economic health of the nation," he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to place Metro Manila and the four nearby provinces under MECQ from August 4 to 18 following the call of health workers for a two-week break after hospitals have been overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases in the past weeks and months.

As of August 9, the Philippine COVID-19 cases rose to 129,913 with 67,673 recoveries and 2,270 deaths. Celerina Monte/DMS