DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday, June 17, encouraged Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella to use the 15-day lockdown to implement more stringent measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

“Wala namang problema kung gusto nila mag-apela pero yan ay nai-reccommend ng IATF (Inter-Agency Task Froce) at na-approve na ng ating pangulo. Nagkausap kami ni Mayor Labella kahapon at sabi ko okay lang na mag-appeal ka pero gamitin mo na yang period na to Mayor para i-lockdown mo ang Cebu City at tutulungan ka ng PNP (Philippine National Police),” Año said in a television interview.

“Hindi ito pagpaparusa ng taga Cebu. Ito ay para mabigyan ng pagkakataon na makapag-contact tracing, makapag-testing tayo at mailagay natin sa quarantine ang lahat ng tao,” he added.

Labella has asked the IATF for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease to reconsider the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed on Cebu City and sought to downgrade this to general community quarantine (GCQ) in order for the residents to “regain” their “means of living.”

Labella first placed Cebu City on ECQ on March 28. President Rodrigo Duterte included Cebu City in the list of areas under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from May 15 to May 31.

For June 1 to 15, Cebu City shifted to GCQ along with Metro Manila and other areas assessed as high risk to Covid-19.

Duterte, however, approved the IATF’s recommendation on June 15 to place Cebu City under ECQ again for the second half of June because of a high critical care utilization rate, fast case doubling rate and widespread transmission of the novel coronavirus, or Sars-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.

Año said fresh cases of coronavirus infection in the country mostly came from Cebu City and Metro Manila.

“Mabigat kasi ‘yung situation sa Cebu City in fact ang mga bagong cases nanggagaling sa NCR at Cebu City. For the last two weeks, 576 ang naitala nating bagong cases at kung susumahin natin ang active cases nila nasa 2,045 at pag titignan mo mga ospital doon halos talagang nagrereklamo na sila dahil punong puno na sila so ang kailangan natin dito magkaroon ng period ang Cebu City para makapag-lockdown at mai-stop talaga ang pag-spread ng virus,” he said.

“Mabigat ang nangyayari sa Cebu, ayaw natin mangyari yung katulad ng nangyari dito sa Metro Manila before nung mga huling linggo ng Marso at early April na halos umaabot ng apat hanggang limang araw bago mai-cremate ang mga namatay na nakapila. Nagrenta pa tayo ng refrigerated van para mailagay ang mga cadaver doon so there is really an ongoing outbreak doon (sa Cebu). It’s a spike na hindi natin pwede ipagsawalang bahala,” he added.

As of June 16, the Cebu City Health Department said the city has a total of 3,814 cases, with 1,924 recoveries and 41 deaths.

Labella has cited the low mortality rate of 1.07 percent and high recovery rate of 50.4 percent on June 16 as basis for his appeal to downgrade to GCQ. (SunStar Philippines)