IATF awaiting PRRD’s nod on new quarantine classifications

MANILA – The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is awaiting President Rodrigo Duterte’s final decision on the fate of areas placed under the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Malacañang said on Thursday.

In an online press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the new quarantine classifications in places under ECQ will be announced before Aug. 15.

“Meron na pong rekomendasyon ang inyong IATF kay Presidente. Hinihintay na lang po natin ang approval ng Presidente pagdating doon sa mga lugar na mapapaso na po ang ECQ nila (The IATF already has a recommendation to the President. It is just awaiting the President’s approval for areas where the ECQ implementation will soon lapse),” Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson, said.

ECQ was imposed in the province of Laguna and the cities of Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro until Aug. 15.

Metro Manila, on the other hand, is under ECQ until Aug. 20 amid the spike in Covid-19 infections in the country’s metropolis.

Roque said the new quarantine status that will be implemented in areas currently under ECQ would depend on the daily coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) attack rate, two-week average attack rate, and health care utilization rate.

“I’m not yet at liberty to say that. Pero gaya ng dati, sinusundan po natin ‘yung formula na (But just like before, we are following the formula of) daily attack rate, two-week average attack rate, at (and) hospital care utilization rate para sa ating rekomendasyon ng bagong (for our recommendation for the new) quarantine classification,” he said.

No recommendation for Metro Manila yet

Roque said the IATF-EID has yet to make a recommendation when it comes to Metro Manila.

Roque’s statement came a day after Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez expressed hope that the quarantine level in Metro Manila would revert to at least lesser modified ECQ (MECQ) “at the soonest time possible.”

He maintained that the IATF-EID is prioritizing the country’s “total health” to ensure that Metro Manila residents would not suffer from the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We all want a lesser quarantine classification na mas marami pong taong makapagtrabaho, pero ang desisyon nga po natin is total health (to allow many people to return to work. However, our decision will be based on total health),” he said.

Roque said the government would augment the capacity of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in Metro Manila to accommodate more Covid-19 patients.

He added that the IATF-EID would take into consideration the Covid-19 data in the country’s metropolis.