NCR still under GCQ; quarantine eased in Cebu

MANILA, Philippines — After strengthening their healthcare capacity and strictly enforcing health standards and quarantine rules, the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu Lapu – all in Cebu province – will be  under general community quarantine (GCQ) beginning today, from the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in the last two weeks.

President Duterte made the announcement yesterday in a recorded televised address wherein he also bared his decision to keep Metro Manila and some provinces in Central Luzon and the Southern Tagalog region under GCQ status until Aug. 15, based on recommendation by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Thursday.

As of July 30, the number of new cases in the country was recorded at 3,954.

Other areas in Luzon under GCQ are Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal; in Mindanao, Zamboanga City is under GCQ.

“In the case of Cebu, the province shall be placed under MGCQ except for the City of Talisay and municipalities of Minglanilla and Consolacion, which shall remain under GCQ, with strict enforcement of indicated local actions, to be monitored by the NTF,” an IATF resolution read.

After announcing the status for the next two weeks, Duterte reminded everyone to avoid unnecessary trips and to observe minimum health standards to avoid contamination to “shorten your (experience in) purgatory.”

He said the problem will be never-ending if the people won’t abide by measures laid down to contain the virus. He also assured the public that the government is ready to buy the vaccines by end of the year once they become available.

Duterte expressed hope the novel coronavirus will not mutate and pose bigger problems.

The IATF also issued guidelines to local government units of NCR and Region 4-A for addressing areas identified with high community transmission. The guidelines call for strict implementation of localized lockdown/ECQ in barangays with 80 percent of cases.

All highly urbanized cities and the municipality of Pateros shall continue to be under GCQ.

“For NCR and Region IV-A to maintain their GCQ classification, the National Task Force, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic Teams will implement in areas with high community transmission a strictly localized lockdown/ ECQ in barangays where 80 percent of cases are located and the publication of these barangays,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said.

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