President Rodrigo Duterte will address the Filipinos via televised that will air on Tuesday morning, said the presidential spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque.

On Monday night, Duterte met with members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and was expected to announce his decision on whether there was a need to extend enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and other areas.

The ECQ was previously extended until May 15 in Metro Manila, Central Luzon (except Aurora), CALABARZON, Pangasinan, Benguet, Albay, Bacolod City, Iloilo province, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Cebu province, Zamboanga City and Davao City.

While the rest of the country is already under the less strict general community quarantine.

On Saturday, the Metro Manila mayors said that they would recommend to the IATF three scenarios after the second extension of the ECQ ends on May 15. 

“The first recommendation was the extension of the ECQ for up to two weeks, or until the end of May. While the second recommendation was for the government to move Metro Manila from ECQ to a general community quarantine (GCQ). And the third option was a modified combination of an ECQ and a GCQ.”

Previously, the Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the COVID-19 transmission rate, the capacity of the healthcare system, and the economy would help the government in deciding whether to ease restrictions in some areas in Metro Manila, where the majority of the infections in the country were recorded.

He also warned that the threat of the virus still exists even if an area is under GCQ.

Roque said, “Kaya kinakailangan pong mag-ingat tayo dahil ang ibig sabihin lang ng pagbaba ng ECQ sa GCQ – mayroon pa rin pong banta hindi lang ganoon katindi – pero kapag binaba po sa GCQ, iyan po ay critical pa rin ang ating sitwasyon,”

“Hindi na po tayo pupuwedeng bumalik sa normal na bago dumating ang COVID-19 habang walang bakuna, habang walang gamot sa COVID-19. Kung tayo po ay magpipilit na magbubulag-bulagan sa COVID-19 ay baka ang kapalit po niyan ay ang ating mga buhay,” he added.

So far, the Philippines cases have recorded 11,086 COVID-19 cases, with 1,999 recoveries and 726 deaths, this is according to government data.

What can you say about this? Share it in the discussion box below.