Malacañang has defended the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon amid criticisms of being ineffective due to the constant increase of the confirmed cases of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines.
According to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, before the ECQ there have only been several cases recorded because testing kits were limited. But now with the ample supply of testing kits and additional COVID-19 testing centers, the number of confirmed cases in the country have spiked.
“Had the enhanced community quarantine or partial lockdown not been imposed, the number of the COVID-19 cases could have been staggering, for the simple reason that with unrestricted movement of the population, with each individual being a potential carrier, the coronavirus would have an untrammeled leap-frogging from one person to another,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo stated.
“Our citizenry is assured that the government is doing everything to contain, if not permanently halt the spread of COVID-19 in the country,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is focused on the situation, alongside the security of medical supplies for hospitals.
IATF Spokesperson Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles has ensured that all the supplies used in hospitals are reliable and effective.
