CURBING the spread of the novel coronavirus is easier under the ultra-strict enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) because it takes less effort to control the movement of persons and health protocols are less difficult to impose, Joint Task Force COVID Shield commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said on Sunday.
Eleazar said quarantine guidelines are easier to implement in ECQ areas because the number of permitted industries are very limited unlike in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) where most establishments are allowed to operate.
“In effect, the number of APOR (authorized outside residence) will be less and quarantine passes will be issued to one person per household to buy essential items,” said Eleazar referring to ECQ settings.
“Based on our experience, it’s actually easier to implement ECQ because there is a small number of persons allowed to go outside. We can easily check people passing through (checkpoints),” he said.
“Basically, not too many people are allowed to go outside under ECQ. We can check all vehicles passing our checkpoints, unlike under GCQ where everyone is practically allowed and its impractical to check all vehicles,” he added.
Eleazar said law enforcers are ready to implement stay-at-home regulations in Mega Manila if Palace officials heed the appeal of medical physicians and other health frontliners to revert the metropolis to ECQ.
“The Philippine National Police is prepared, including the other agencies which are members of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield,” Eleazar said,referring to the Armed Forces, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fire Protection which are all part of the JTF COVID Shield.
“We’re waiting for the guidance in case the quarantine status of Metro Manila (and other areas) will be raised,” he said, adding that more troops would be deployed to areas that will be placed under ECQ.
On Saturday, the Philippine College of Physicians called on the government to place Mega Manila (National Capital Region, Calabarzon and Mimaropa) under ECQ from August 1 to 15 to give the country’s health care system some breathing time from the surging number of COVID-19 cases all over the country.
Meanwhile, the headquarters of the Central Luzon Regional Police Office in San Fernando City in Pampanga was placed under lockdown on Saturday after 18 of its policemen and a civilian tested positive for COVID-19.
Central Luzon police director Brig. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia said they implemented the lockdown to allow them time to disinfect the camp.
“Our personnel including the civilian who have tested positive are now placed on strict quarantine and monitoring and are immediately transferred to our quarantine facility. We are also establishing contact tracing, including all our PNP and non-uniformed personnel inside the camp as well as the families of those infected,” said Sermonia.
He said the PNP Regional Health Service is conducting further swab tests on personnel who are suspected to be infected with the virus.
On Saturday night, the PNP reported that 40 policemen tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of infected policemen to 2,236 with 40 new cases. It said a policeman recently died, bringing the total deaths to 11.
