MECQ in Mega Manila to bring down new COVID-19 cases by 50K — expert

MANILA, Philippines — The reimposition of the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) over Metro Manila and nearby areas may reduce the projected number of new COVID-19 cases by at least 50,000 by the end of August, an expert from the University of the Philippines said Monday.

In a televised Palace press briefing, professor Ranjit Rye of the UP OCTA Research Team bared that they projected 220,000 COVID-19 cases nationwide by the end of the month under a general community quarantine (GCQ) setup.

But with the return of MECQ, Rye projected coronavirus infections to go down by 50,000 to 70,000.

“Dahil naka MECQ tayo, bababa between 50 (thousand) to 70,000 ang bagsak ho, minus doon sa mga bagong kaso. So malaki pong impact itong MECQ,” Rye said.

President Duterte on Sunday night heeded the plea of the medical community to reimpose strict lockdown measures in Metro Manila to give them time to recuperate from exhaustion due to the continuous surge of COVID-19 cases nationwide, which already breached the 100,000 mark.

Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan will be under MECQ  from Aug. 4 to 18.

Under MECQ, the second more stringent quarantine measure of the government, public transport and non-essential businesses will be suspended again and residents will only be allowed to go out with quarantine passes that will permit them to go on supply runs.

On Sunday, the Department of Health reported 5,032 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the country’s total caseload to 103,185. It is considered the highest single-day jump on record in the country.

More than half or 55,808 of the total infections nationwide are in Metro Manila.

The country’s death toll climbed to 2,059 while the recoveries reached 65,557.

EDV