MANILA— Philippine pandemic czars rejected Friday calls of some health workers to revert General Santos City to the stricter enhanced community quarantine due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the area.

COVID-19 testing czar Vince Dizon and contact tracing czar Benjamin Magalong said officials have agreed to keep the Mindanao city under the relaxed modified general community quarantine but noted that local officials should improve their response.

"Very challenging po iyong situation natin sa GenSan pero napag-usapan naman po kahapon that they will not declare a status of ECQ and instead they will maintain their current status but they will enhance iyong kanilang mga iba’t ibang mga capabilities," Magalong said during a press briefing in Baguio City.

(It was agreed yesterday that they will not declare ECQ and instead they will maintain their current status but they will enhance their different capabilities.)

Some health workers in the city have appealed for a 2-week stricter lockdown, saying many of them were contracting the virus.

Magalong, however, assured the public that the local government of General Santos City remains "on top of the situation."

Dizon, meanwhile, reminded local government units to just follow the country's test, trace, treat strategy in responding to the pandemic.

"Magtiwala po tayo at magtulong-tulong tayo. Kaya po nating i-manage ang mga kaso," he said.

(Let's have faith and cooperate. We can manage the cases.)

As of Thursday, confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city have reached a total of 193, with eight related deaths and 69 recoveries.