Cebu City to appeal ECQ classification

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella announced the city would appeal its classification back to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

President Rodrigo Duterte reimposed ECQ on Cebu City due to rising cases and widespread community transmission, with hospitals at full capacity for COVID-19 as of June 16.

Labella argued that the increase in COVID-19 cases was due to a backlog in test results and cited a 51% recovery rate and a 1.0 death rate.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stated that the period for appealing quarantine status had already lapsed, and local government units were informed of their possible quarantine status to allow for appeals before the President's announcement.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año stated that the move to revert Cebu City to ECQ is an opportunity to intensify response efforts, including contact tracing and testing, rather than a punishment.

Año also assured Mayor Labella that the police would assist in enforcing ECQ anew in the city, adding that hospitals in Cebu City were already complaining about their current condition.