Recommendations to be submitted to President Duterte
(Eagle News)–Members of the Cabinet and of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases held a meeting on Saturday night to discuss the medical community’s call for a “time-out” and for Mega Manila to be placed under an enhanced community quarantine.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea called the meeting, which was attended by Senator Bong Go, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado,Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Palace Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Michael Ong, Presidential Assistant for Foreign Affairs Robert Borje, and National Task Force chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr.
NTF deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon and One Hospital Incident Command Chief Leopoldo Vega also attended the meeting, which President Rodrigo Duterte had ordered be held after medical workers led by the Philippine College of Physicians made the call for the two-week ECQ so they could recover from exhaustion.
They said the period could also be used by the government to assess its strategies to deal with the public health emergency.
The recommendations of the group will be submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte within the day.
President Duterte earlier said Metro Manila and many of its surrounding areas would be under a general community quarantine starting Aug. 1.
