Duterte orders IATF to act on medical community’s plea to place NCR under ECQ for two weeks

August 1, 2020

The Inter-Agency Task Force for Emergency Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will discuss a plea by the medical community to reimpose enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila for two weeks.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, in a statement, said President Rodrigo Duterte '' has heard the concerns of the medical community.''

''The Chief Executive has directed the Inter-Agency Task Force  for Emerging Infectious Diseases ( IATF-EID) to act on these concerns immediately,'' said Roque.

Roque made the announcement just as the Department of Health reported a new record high of 4,963 in daily coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. This was the third straight day of daily record high cases.

This brought total COVID-19 cases to 98, 232. Active cases are now at 30, 928

The National Capital Region, with 2,667 cases, make up the bulk of the new COVID-19 cases.

The Philippine College of Physicians, in a letter to President Rodrigo Duterte, said Saturday that healthcare workers ''are burnt out with the seemingly endless number of patients trooping to our hospitals for emergency care and admission.''

''We have witnessed a consistent rise in the number of infections and this, among other scenarios , prompts us to act now and act fast,'' said Mario Panaligan, president of the Philippine College of Physicians.

''We, as your healthcare frontliners, call on our national government to return Mega Manila to Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) for a period of two weeks, from August 1 to August 15,'' said Panaligan.

The government kept Metro Manila and nine areas under general community quarantine, Duterte announced in his nationwide address which was taped Thursday night but telecast Friday morning.

Duterte imposed ECQ on Metro Manila on March 16 and lifted it on June 1.DMS