Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is likely to ease restrictions in Metro Manila and surrounding areas beyond 18 August from Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) status back to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) – but only due to dwindling funds.
The government tightened quarantine controls in the National Capital Region earlier this month to MECQ at the request of frontline health workers, with the Philippines’ health system now bursting at the seams due to huge numbers of new COVID-19 cases. Total case numbers have now reached 140,000 including a record 6,958 new cases on Monday.
Even under GCQ – which has been in place since 15 March – many businesses, including gaming halls and casinos, are either not allowed to open or only with very limited operations. The tighter MECQ in place until next Tuesday places strict limits on who can leave their houses and when, halts most public transport, and bans all mass gatherings and face-to-face classes. Alcohol sales are also banned.
Providing an update to reporters on Tuesday, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the government would like to extend the MECQ period but it is unlikely the Philippine can withstand the substantial impact such restrictions are having on the economy any longer.
“Anything is possible but it’s highly unlikely,” he said. “The bottom line is we no longer have resources to give assistance.”
Roque added that a final decision on quarantine measures would be made by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) with the government struggling to contain the growing COVID-19 outbreak.
“We may not be as successful, but I can assure you everyone is working, trying hard to find a solution to the problem,” he said.
“If our effort is not enough, we apologize. But you cannot accuse the government of not doing anything.”
RelatedPosts
