MANILA, Philippines — A “delicate” balance between health and economy is needed in deciding whether or not the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) enforced in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces will be extended, Malacañang said Monday. Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite are under MECQ until August 18 after medical frontliners sought for a “timeout” amid a spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 cases). “It entails a delicate balancing of protecting and saving people’s health to protecting and saving the economic health of the nation,” he added. Former adviser of the National Task Force on COVID-19 Dr. Tony Leachon had reportedly suggested extending the MECQ for a month to build up the country’s healthcare capacity. The Philippines now has the most number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia with 129,913 infections, 2,270 deaths and 67,673 recoveries.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer August 10, 2020 05:16 UTC