Palace hopes Aug. 6-20 ECQ will be Metro Manila’s last one

MANILA – Malacañang is hopeful that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) that will be placed in Metro Manila from Aug. 6 to 20 will be the region’s last one.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the more Filipinos get vaccinated against Covid-19, the higher chance for the decline in the number of active cases.

“Inaasahan po natin na bagama’t ang numero ay tataas pa, bagama’t tumataas din ang ating mga nababakunahan na ay iyong mga nangyayari sa mga bansa kagaya ng Israel at Estados Unidos ay mangyayari rin dito maski tumaas pa ang numero, hindi na po sila nagkakasakit ng seryoso o hindi na namamatay (Even if numbers increase, we expect the number of vaccinations to rise just like in Israel and the United States where even if they have higher numbers, they were able to prevent serious illness and death),” he said in a Palace press briefing.

Roque said he expects fully vaccinated individuals to only suffer from mild Covid-19 symptoms once the country reaches its goal of achieving population protection in Metro Manila and nearby areas.

“Kung ma-achieve natin ang (If we can achieve) population protection, it’s the number of critical and serious cases that will matter, and the death rates dahil kapag bakunado na po (when vaccinated), Covid-19 can become an ordinary cold,” he said.

He dismissed criticism that the national government was late in declaring an ECQ in Metro Manila which in turn caused a spike in Covid-19 cases.

“Hindi po siya (It was not) reactive; we had foresight, we were guided by science and we are preparing for what we hope to be our last ever lockdown. Pero nakasalalay po iyan doon sa pagbabakuna natin ng ating mga kababayan (But it would still depend on the vaccination numbers of our citizens),” he added.

Roque defended anew the national government’s Covid-19 response, saying the Philippines had significantly lower deaths compared to other countries.

“We are only 86[th] in the whole world as far as iyong mga namamatay (deaths are concerned). One death is too much… All those na nagsasabi na mali at mahina ang Covid response (All those who say we are wrong and we have a weak Covid response), I am sorry, you’re wrong; and the data will support us,” he added.

Metro Manila, which is currently under a week-long general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened and additional restrictions until Aug. 5, is scheduled to shift to the strictest ECQ on Aug. 6-20 to prevent the spread of the Delta Covid-19 variant.

The Department of Health (DOH) said the total number of Covid-19 cases in the Philippines has breached 1.6 million.

DOH spokesperson and Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said she believes there is Delta variant community transmission in the country despite the absence of evidence.

To date, there are a total of 216 cases of the Delta Covid-19 variant in the country.

The Delta Variant, which was found to be 50 to 60 percent more transmissible compared to the original variant of Covid-19, was responsible for the sudden surge in the cases in India and other countries.