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Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Friday said there is a possibility of another extension beyond the April 30 deadline of the ongoing enhanced community quarantine if coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases continue to rise.

In a radio interview, Año said there is a need to continue the measures being taken by the government but President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to decide on the matter.

“Well there is a possibility because based on the epidemiological data, if that continues to rise then we also need to continue although there is an improvement… it shows that the lockdown is working,” he said.

Año said once the government became complacent in addressing the pandemic, the country will be the same as Singapore, Japan and Wuhan, China who are experiencing a resurge in COVID-19 transmission.

“We don’t want to have a resurge because it will be hard to control that’s why in the remaining days (of ECQ), if the people will remain in their homes, a lot of virus inside their bodies will die and will not be spread,” he added.

On modified community quarantine, Año said the IATF is studying the proposal of the University of the Philippines and other recommendations also from the business community.

“We are taking everything into consideration. We are looking at five factors, the trend or data, the capacity of our health facilities, the economic factor, the security factor and the capacity of the law enforcers such as the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines once we implement the modified and scattered lockdown,” he said.

He also asked the public if they are ready and disciplined enough once the ECQ is lifted.

“What is important is the preparedness of the people when there is no more lockdown… So that is the most important, the social factor. The preparedness of each person to follow our guidelines despite of no lockdown,” Año added.

He said the discipline of people to wear mask and observe social distancing should become a habit.

In the last days of the ECQ, Año warned the people that they will be stricter in imposing the quarantine law.

Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte extended the ECQ until April 30 instead of lifting it on the schedule April 12. Ella Dionisio/DMS