Año: ECQ extension possible if COVID-19 cases rise

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año stated Sunday that a recommendation for actions after the extended enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon ends on April 30 may be submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte by April 25.

Año mentioned that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emergency Infectious Diseases will meet again on Monday to discuss the latest COVID-19 epidemiology and other factors such as health system capacity, economic considerations, and social impacts.

On Friday, Año said it is possible to extend ECQ beyond April 30 if cases continue to rise, emphasizing that President Duterte has not yet made a decision.

Año expressed hope for a significant decline in new cases by the end of the quarantine period on April 30, noting that without ECQ, the Philippines could have seen 50,000 cases and 7,000 deaths.