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MANILA, Philippines – The mayor of the city of Cagayan de Oro on Tuesday opposed the idea of placing the city under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), saying it has been classified as “moderate risk” in terms of its number of coronavirus disease (COVID) -19) cases.
Mayor Oscar Moreno said the city only has seven confirmed cases of COVID-19, which he says is less than half the threshold for infection cases for highly urbanized cities.
“Large cities with low COVID-19 cases, including some in Metro Manila, dream of raising their ECQ. But here, we have a governor who wants to place our city under ECQ without any scientific basis and against the IATF position. Placing the city under ECQ right now is a setback, a step backward and would bring more human suffering than relief, “he said in a statement, referring to the governor of Misamis Oriental, Yevgeny Emano.
“Instead of meddling in the affairs of the [chartered] city, Governor Emano should upgrade the capacity of eight district hospitals in the province, “added the mayor.
According to reports, some village chiefs in Cagayan De Oro also demanded that the city be placed under ECQ due to COVID-19 cases in the city.
Currently, the Cagayan De Oro is under General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
Moreno emphasized that analysis of IATF data shows that the city’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 have so far worked.
“As we do our best to contain the disease, we seek out the experts, the IATF, for wisdom and guidance on the need and timing of going to ECQ from GCQ,” he said.
In addition to promoting physical distancing, frequent handwashing, and other initiatives, the City Health Office is also conducting intensive contact tracking and “active” house-to-house surveillance to verify possible cases of COVID-19, according to Mayor.
INQUIRER.net is still trying to contact Emano for his comment on Moreno’s statement.
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