MORE than two weeks since Davao City is placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said the city is still experiencing a surge and has not "flattened the curve."
"Based lang on our numbers, makita nato nga naay surge nga gapanghitabo (we can see that there is an ongoing surge), we have not flattened the curve yet," Duterte-Carpio said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio Monday, June 28.
The mayor said this is based on the reports provided by the City Health Office.
Despite the ongoing surge, she reiterated that there is no discussion on whether to recommend the extension of the MECQ status or requesting the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) for a stricter quarantine status in the city.
The mayor said it is the IATF that has the "experts" capable of determining the quarantine status of a certain locality.
"Diria sa ato sa (Here in) Davao City, wala tay (we do not have) experts, like how they have it sa (in) IATF or sa (in the) national government sa DOH nato sa main office nila (in DOH main office). That is why, we also rely on the National Government unsang klaseng (on what) quarantine classification ilahang i-impose (they will impose) because ang tanang experts naa sa ilaha kung mag-tan-aw sa data na naa dinhi gapanghitabo sa siyudad (they have all the experts that are capable in analyzing the data and the current situation in the city)," Duterte-Carpio said.
The mayor recently shrugged off the statement of Dr. Butch Ong of the Octa Research Group recommending the city to be elevated to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Duterte-Carpio said the city will only abide by the recommendation of the IATF.
Davao City has been placed under MECQ since June 5.
Initially, the City Government requested the IATF to place the city under MECQ until June 30 due to Covid-19 cases overwhelming the city's hospital and treatment facility beds.
The National Government initially announced that the MECQ in the city will be until June 20. The mayor, in a previous interview, said there was no explanation but she believed the city was given a short period of time to "flatten the curve."
President Rodrigo Duterte announced on June 14 that the city will be under MECQ until the end of the month.
Meanwhile, Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Director Dr. Annabelle Yumang said in a virtual presser that she saw an "effect" in the Covid-19 case situation in Davao City more than two weeks after it was placed under MECQ.
"Sa pagkakaron... nakita nato nga nagasaka ang cases karon diri sa Davao City apan kini nakita pud nato nga mura siya'g nag-maintain lang, wala na siya ningpadayon pa gyud og saka. Pwede pud nato masulti nga naa puy epekto atong MECQ (As of now, we can see that cases in Davao City are increasing but we can also see that the trend or movement in the cases has plateaued. We can tell that the MECQ has been quite effective)," she said in a virtual presser on Monday, June 28.
Yumang, meanwhile, encouraged the public to continuously comply with the minimum health protocol.
She also told those who are being contact-traced to provide factual information on their history.
"Kini pud usa ka pamaagi aron masugpo ang pagkalat [sa virus] (This is one way to stop the spread of the virus)," the official said.
As of June 27, Davao City's active cases already reached 5,285, currently the highest since the pandemic in March 2020.