DAVAO City has only two weeks to "flatten the curve," Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said after the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) granted the city’s request to be placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for only 16 days.
The IATF on Thursday, June 3, 2021, approved the City's request to be placed under MECQ from June 5 to 20, 10 days short of the city’s initial appeal, which was from June 5 until June 30.
Duterte-Carpio said in an interview on Monday, June 7, that the IATF did not mention the reason why the request period was shortened.
"Wala naghatag og reason ang IATF ngano hangtod June 20 lang. But kung ako patagnaon kung ngano (The IATF did not specify their reason why they only approved the MECQ until June 20. But if I were to guess), it's [because] they wanted us to flatten the curve in two weeks only," the mayor said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
The mayor admitted that it would take two to three weeks to see the effect of the MECQ on managing the Covid-19 cases in the city.
The decision for the possible extension will still depend on the Covid-19 cases in the city after June 20.
When asked if it the two-week MECQ will be enough, she said, "Enough na siya nga time kung musunod tanang tao sa kinahanglan nato buhaton nga (It is enough time if people will abide by the protocols to) 'stay home', and come out only if you need to work, or do business, and kung magpabakuna mo (if you will get the Covid-19 vaccine)."
The City Government said it requested the national IATF to elevate the city to a higher quarantine status "to allow a circuit breaker in the surge of patients inside hospitals."
Salient points of the guidelines include limiting the movement of all persons to accessing goods and establishments and for work in such establishments (Sec. 3, IATF Omnibus Guidelines dated May 20, 2021).
It also states that any person below 18 years old and over 65 years of age, persons with comorbidities and pregnant women shall be required to stay at home, except for obtaining essential goods and services (Sec. 3, IATF Omnibus Guidelines dated May 20, 2021).
Meanwhile, according to the Department of Trade and Industry memorandum, pick-up and delivery services are still in full operation, while 10 percent operational capacity for indoor dining and 50 percent for outdoor dining are only allowed.
The City Government has called on those affected by MECQ zero operational capacity to coordinate with the Trabaho Dabawenyo employment assistance at the City Mayor’s Office Special Project Office at Magsaysay Park.
The City added that all public transportation shall be permitted to operate.
“Ang (The proposed) MECQ nato was a product of the discussions of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force and sa mga nakita nato sa occupancy sa atong mga (based on the occupancy of our) TTMFs [temporary treatment and monitoring facilities] and hospitals,” she said, adding that the City is avoiding the possible overwhelming of the health care system.
In its latest monitoring report, the Octa Research Group said Davao is one of the Mindanao cities considered an area of concern, with 206 new cases for May 31 to June 6, 2021.
Its growth rate is 54 percent, while its average daily attack rate (ADAR) is 11.34 percent.
Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Director Annabelle Yumang said they have yet to check the projection of Octa, but she said it is evident that there is a surge, and that there is a need to curb the transmission.
As of June 6, Davao City has a total of 18,288 confirmed Covid-19 cases, wherein 2,460 are active cases, 15,049 have recovered, and 779 have died. (With reports from PNA)