Labella hopes for ‘miracle’ on COVID-19 for ECQ to end

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella. | CDN Digital File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said the city had been currently studying the need for an extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

This was his response to the call of the Cebu City Health Department (CHD) to extend the ECQ by at least two weeks to give more time for mass testing, contact tracing, and quarantine.

READ MORE: Cebu City Health Dept. seeks two-week extension of ECQ

Labella said at this point, the discussions and the monitoring would still continue and it would be too early to say that the ECQ would be lifted by April 28, 2020, its original date.

“We are hoping that a miracle will happen, and we can lift the ECQ on April 28. We still have to see. It’s too early at this point,” said the mayor.

READ MORE: Cebu City records 6 new COVID-19 cases in one day over mass testing

He reiterated that his executive order stated that the ECQ would be maintained until April 28 or if the need would arise. This need would depend on the trend of the spread of the virus in the city.

With the mass testing being conducted in the barangays, the city will now be able to have a fuller grasp on the actual situation on the ground and how the virus is spreading among the populace.

The CHD said the city had not yet seen the peak of the cases and would be expected to record more.

In these times of “uncertainty,” Labella turns to prayers for the end of the crisis. He urged the public to not just stay at home but also pray that the pandemic would end.

READ MORE: Pope at Mass: May common difficulties lead to unity

He holds on for the “miracle” that would turn things around and hopefully end the crisis before April 28. Still, the Cebu City government is preparing for an extension and this is being studied by the CHD and other departments.

Avoid premature announcements

With the uncertainty of the ECQ lifting or extension, Labella urged schools to avoid premature announcements such as classes resuming on a certain date.

He said that there had been no assurance the ECQ would be lifted in time and the top priority should be to keep the people in their homes.

“I am asking the schools to heed the enhanced community quarantine. It is too premature to say we will end the ECQ on April 28. We are hoping that we will end by then, but it would depend on the situation. I am just requesting them that at this time, it is premature to make announcements,” said Labella.

The University of San Carlos issued a memorandum on Monday night, April 13, 2020, on resuming classes on May 4, 2020.

The administrators of the university already clarified that they would follow the mandate of the local government unit on when the ECQ would be lifted.

The memorandum was sent to prepare the students and the staff on the possible resuming of classes as the expected end of the ECQ would be on April 28.

However, the announcement can be modified should an extension be put in place.

“The 2nd paragraph on the new memo is our assurance that future modification of our advisory will always be based on data and official pronouncement of the national and local government,” said Fr. Aleksander Gaut, the university’s vice president for academic affairs. /dbs