Albay officials hesitate to ease COVID-19 restrictions

Top officials in Albay province are hesitant to shift to a general community quarantine (GCQ) after April 30 due to the emergence of new COVID-19 cases.

Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal plans to appeal for an extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until May 15, citing a volatile situation and an increasing number of coronavirus cases among residents, including medical frontliners.

Albay province recorded 30 coronavirus cases, including 5 deaths, but Albay Representative Joey Salceda stated that the province's R0 is approaching 2 again, indicating a return to mid-April risk levels.

Salceda also highlighted that Albay has 56 percent of Bicol's COVID-19 cases despite having only 23 percent of the region's population, labeling it as the "infection cluster" in Bicol.

He pointed out the province's insufficient testing capabilities, limited contact tracing, and inadequate healthcare facilities as reasons to maintain ECQ.

The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Albay Chapter and other local officials have also voiced opposition to easing restrictions.

However, the provincial government of Albay temporarily shelved a resolution asking the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to extend the ECQ, opting instead to assess the public health situation.