‘ECQ in Iloilo City not an option’

Placing Iloilo City under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) is not an option for Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas amid the increasing number of Delta variant cases in the city.

Treñas said he will not request for a stricter quarantine status in the metro as the city has available isolation facilities in preparation for a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant.

“I will not request the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for an ECQ status even during these times. We just have to take care of ourselves while the city prepares isolation facilities for those who are positive. We will just prepare for the surge of cases brought about by the Delta variant,” the mayor said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

The city has been placed under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from August 16 to August 31, 2021.

Before the MECQ status, Iloilo City was under ECQ since May 24.

Treñas lamented that the ECQ status of the city was due to its high hospital utilization rate caused by the surge of patients from other provinces, particularly Iloilo province.

Hence, the city is preparing additional isolation facilities to decongest city hospitals.

Currently, Treñas said the city has 1,500 isolation beds spread in hotels and schools and facilities at So-oc, Arevalo.

To increase the bed capacity, the mayor said he has requested the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for three modular hospitals.

The three modular hospitals will add 66 more beds.

“These past few months, Iloilo City was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine due to the critical hospital utilization rate. In our recent appeals, we explained that around 70% of the patients in our hospitals came from other provinces. To address this concern, I requested DPWH for three modular hospitals that will add 66 more beds to exclusively cater to our Ilonggo Covid-19 patients,” he said.

Treñas added that he also requested the Department of Health (DOH) for additional personnel who will manage the facility. (ERS)