Malacañang on Monday bared indications that the government may finally start easing quarantine restrictions in the National Capital Region (NCR) and its surrounding provinces by next month.
Medical experts from the OCTA Research Group, however, urged the government to extend the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) classification in the said areas to sustain the declining number of Covid-19 cases nationwide.
Last Monday, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque lauded the improvement in the Covid-19 indicators utilized by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) as determinants to relax community classifications.
He noted that the health-care utilization in NCR has improved to 68 percent from over 70 percent in previous weeks.
Roque also pointed out the attack rate for Covid-19 cases in the region. “If we were to follow the formula [used by IATF to determine community classification] there is a possibility,” Roque said when asked if the government could bring back the classification of NCR and its surrounding areas to general community quarantine (GCQ).
He said this is necessary to minimize economic disruptions of the quarantine restrictions, which could lead to the closure of establishments and labor displacements.
Reversible trend
But members of OCTA Research Group cautioned the government against any immediate significant easing of the quarantine restrictions in NCR Plus, which includes Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, especially with the growing threat of more new infectious variants outside the country.
Instead, it noted such quarantine easing should be done gradually.
“Right now, the trends are good but we’re not yet where we’re supposed to be as far as managing the crisis in our region is concerned,” OCTA Research Fellow Ranjit Rye said in an interview with PTV.
“We would like to remind everyone that the trend is still reversible “no. It is not definite it [new Covid-19 cases] will be decreasing at any point in time it could still increase again,”he added.
Currently, Rye admitted that their members are split on the issue with some supporting the extension of MECQ in NCR Plus by one to two weeks.
The other group backs putting NCR Plus under GCQ but with modifications such as strict monitoring and enforcement of minimum public health standards not just in public areas but also in the private sector.
Roque said the IATF is expected to submit its recommendation on the new community classification for NCR plus this week to President Duterte, who will decide whether to approve it or not.
The new classifications are expected to take effect after May 14, 2021.
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