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Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Sunday said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases already approved the parameters that it will use to determine if the enhanced community quaratine (ECQ) will be lifted or extended.

In a statement, Nograles said the IATF has adopted the parameters proposed by the IATF sub-technical working group (TWG) on Data Analytics for deciding on the total or partial lifting, or the possible extension of the ECQ in Luzon, including Metro Manila.

He said the parameters include "trends in the COVID-19 epidemiological curve, which include, among others, the doubling time, acceleration, or deceleration of new cases."

Nograles, who is also the spokesperson of the IATF, explained that another parameter is the capacity of the health care system, "which includes, among others, the number and availability of quarantine, isolation, and treatment facilities; the capability to mount contact tracing; availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to frontliners, and the testing capacity of the country."

Social factors, economic factors, and security factors are also part of the parameter.

“The Department of Health (DOH) is hereby directed to convene all concerned agencies and to finalize the aggregation and analysis of all relevant data applicable to the contained area, subject to the deliberation of the IATF and final determination by the President (Rodrigo Duterte)," he said.

He added the same sub-TWG is also directed to apply the same parameters to propose recommendations with regard to the possible implementation of a general or enhanced community quarantine in the Visayas and Mindanao.

In a radio interview, Nograles said the matter will be discussed on their meeting tomorrow, Monday.

“It will be discussed on our meeting tomorrow so that we can create a recommendation for President Duterte because he will be the one to decide (whether to lift or extend). We, on the task force, will make a recommendation based on scientific data, evidence and findings from our experts,” he said.

“And let’s see if by tomorrow we can finish our recommendation…we are also mindful of the fact that this is only up to April 12… and this coming week will be Maundy Thursday and Good Friday so it is important that as soon as we can, the IATF and the President can make a decision on what we should do on the ECQ,” he added.

In a separate interview, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenza said the government may release its decision by Saturday next week as they received suggestions from some sectors to extend the ECQ for two more weeks.

“There are suggestions to extend for two weeks but the business sector suggested to have selective lockdown where there are high number of COVID-19 cases… for other places, maintain social distancing and wearing of face mask, maybe they can continue their businesses, especially on the manufacturing… but maybe reduce the number of people,” Lorenzana said.

“We still have few days to study. Maybe by Friday or Saturday, we will come up with a decision if either to lift (the ECQ) or extend,” he added.

The secretary reiterated the government’s aim to flatten the curve in the number of COVID-19 cases.

“If the number of positive (cases) decreases, that is a sign that we can lift the lockdown,” Lorenzana said.

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said the doctors, scientists and data analysts advised them that lifting the ECQ will waste the gains the government has done to prevent the spread of the virus.

“We have to sustain the gains, otherwise there will be relapse, the second round they are calling or surge of curve which we may find it hard to contain… we were able to control it because of the lockdown. If you relax it immediately despite a lot of positive cases are asymptomatic, they will continuously spread (the virus),” Ano said.

Ano said the national government is preparing the hospitals, facilities, and equipment needed once they lift the lockdown, "so that the government is ready if ever there will be a sudden surge (in the number of COVID-19 cases)."

“Everything that we have done during the one-month lockdown will go to waste because we will go back to zero… we better sustain it, if there is a need to endure, let’s endure this… So the professionals, the TWG including the economic and security sector so that we can find ways to mitigate the effect on the economy and what will be the compromise so that we can lift the lockdown or what measures we will do in case we lift the lockdown,” Ano added. Ella Dionisio/DMS