FALSE: Enhanced community quarantine extended after May 15

Claim: The implementation of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in several areas nationwide will be extended until May 25.

Several Facebook users have been posting a graphic containing the claim, which was attributed to local station Nueva Ecija TV48.

Other iterations of the graphic claimed that the ECQ would be extended until May 30.

A reader sent this claim to Rappler for verification. Multiple posts with this graphic were also flagged by Claim Check, Facebook’s tool for monitoring posts with potentially dubious information.

Rating: FALSE

The facts: As of Friday, May 8, the government’s coronavirus task force has not announced an extension of the enhanced community quarantine beyond May 15. The graphic was also manipulated.

On April 24, the government announced an extension of the ECQ from May 1 until May 15 in areas with a high number of coronavirus cases. No further extension of the ECQ has been announced as of Friday. (READ: DOCUMENT: Omnibus guidelines on enhanced, general community quarantine)

The Metro Manila Council, composed of the mayors of the 17 local government units of the National Capital Region, will meet on Saturday to discuss their recommendation on extending or lifting the ECQ in the metropolis. However, the final decision will come from the government’s coronavirus task force.

Meanwhile, the original graphic posted by Nueva Ecija TV48 on April 24 indicated that the ECQ would be extended until May 15. The station posted on Facebook saying the graphic with the false claim was “obviously edited.”

“Hinihikayat ng pamunuan ng TV48 na i-report ang sinumang gagamit ng pangalan ng istasyon ng walang pahintulot at gagamit nito sa pagpapakalat ng pekeng balita upang masampahan ng kaso,” the post read.

(The TV48 administration encourages everyone to report whoever uses the name of the station without permission to use it to spread fake news, so that we can file a case against them.)

In the past, Rappler debunked other false claims about the government’s efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak. These included posts alleging that President Rodrigo Duterte will announce a “total lockdown” and another false claim that the President ordered a mandatory “no work, with pay” policy. – Loreben Tuquero/Rappler.com

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.