Nograles unsure if Metro Manila ECQ good for only 2 weeks

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Monday admitted he is unsure if the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila will only last for two weeks.

Nograles, co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said the duration of the ECQ will still depend on the number of COVID-19 cases as well as the progress of the vaccination drive.

“We also don’t know how long this ECQ will last. Right now, it’s just two weeks so far,” Nograles said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

Metro Manila will be under ECQ starting this Friday, August 6 until August 20 to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

Pressed if the ECQ will stay for over two weeks, Nograles said: “I-momonitor natin yung numbers, i-momonitor natin yung vaccination rollout, we’ll take it one day at a time but also be mindful about August 20.”

(We will monitor the numbers, the vaccination rollout, we’ll take it one day at a time but also be mindful about August 20.)

“That’s at the back of our heads, we’re looking at projections again and the projections will only be as accurate as what we see day to day. It’s like a day to day basis, you can’t make accurate projections until we see the numbers day to day,” he added.

Without the reimposition of the ECQ, Nograles said COVID-19 cases in the country might reach as much as 30,000 daily.  

To make the most of the stricter quarantine measure, Metro Manila mayors are eyeing to administer as much as 250,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses daily during the two-week ECQ.

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