MECQ for NCR, 4 other provinces to have positive effects

MANILA – Placing anew the National Capital Region (NCR) and four other provinces under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for the next 15 days will not generally hit domestic growth, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III  said.

In a message to journalists Monday, Dominguez said that “in the short run, the return to MECQ may negatively affect livelihoods, consumer demand, and production”.

“However, if the time is used to boost all our medical resources and to prevent further spread of the virus., then the MECQ will be positive for the long haul. The whole world is learning how to dance with this virus: two steps forward and one step back,” he added.

NCR, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal will be under MECQ starting the midnight of August 4 following medical practitioners’ request for a timeout, citing the need to rest and “recalibrate strategies” to fight the disease.

This, as the number of infections in the country continues to rise.

The Department of Health (DOH) said the total number of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases as of 4 p.m. Monday reached 106,330.

Confirmed cases reported by 66 of the 94 current operational laboratories around the country showed a total of 3,226 cases.

Recovered cases to date reached 65,821, with the figure for Monday alone at 275 recoveries while total death has reached 106,330.

The DOH said NCR is the region with the highest number of cases in the last two weeks with 1,267  or 50 percent followed by Region 4-A, 445 or 17 percent, and Region 7, 353 cases, or 14 percent.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has resulted to the 0.2-percent contraction of domestic growth in the first quarter this year as a result of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) implemented in Luzon from March 17 until May 15, with the implementation of the said quarantine level extended for NCR until end-May.

Economic managers have revised their 6.

5 to 7.5-percent growth target for the domestic economy this year to a contraction of between 2-3 to 4 percent, but they forecast growth to recover and post an expansion of between 8 to 9 percent in 2021.