MGCQ itinutulak ng Metro Manila mayors simula ika-1 ng Marso

MANILA, Philippines —  Bagama't hati, karamihan ng mga alkalde sa National Capital Region ay pabor ilagay sa pinakamaluwag na quarantine restriction ang punong rehiyon 11 araw mula ngayon.

Basahin: What is modified, enhanced, general quarantine? Here's how to tell the difference

Sa ulat ng The STAR, siyam na Metro Manila Mayors ang nanawagan sa modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), pagsisiwalat ni Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco.

Malapit ngunit mas marami 'yan sa walong NCR mayors na nais mapanatili ang general community quarantine (GCQ).

9 Metro Manila mayors in the Metro Manila Council voted to ease quarantine status in the region to modified general community quarantine this March, while 8 mayors wanted to retain GCQ status, Navotas mayor Toby Tiangco says @PhilippineStar

— Marc Jayson Cayabyab (@mjaysoncayabyab) February 18, 2021

Dahil diyan, irerekomenda na ng Metro Manila Council ang MGCQ sa Kamaynilaan simula ika-1 ng Marso, 2021.

Una nang inirekomenda ng National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) ang MGCQ sa buong bansa simula Marso para na rin "matugunan ang gutom" at "tama sa kabuhayan" ng mahahabang lockdowns sa gitna ng coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

"We need to shift as soon as possible to MGCQ for the entire Philippines. We hope starting March 1, 2021, so we can address the high percentage of Filipinos who are experiencing hunger," ani NEDA director general Karl Chua.

"We are not saying that we should reopen the economy without minding the number of COVID cases. We have to do both."

Basahin: NEDA wants MGCQ for entire country in March

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Handa na ba sa MGCQ?

Kahapon lang nang batikusin ng Bayan Muna party-list ang nasabing panukala lalo na't "delikado" raw ito hangga't hindi pa dumarating ang mga bakuna laban sa COVID-19 — bagay na dapat dumating na kalagitnaan ng Pebrero.

"[This] may only compromise the safety and health of our people if there are still no free mass vaccination and testing against COVID-19 being done in the country," ani House Deputy Minority leader Rep. Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna) noong Miyerkules.

"The question is what is keeping the COVID vaccines from coming when they should have arrived already according to the Department of Health? Is the national government still waiting for preferred suppliers, like those vaccines from China to come first so that they would be the ones that would be primarily used?"

Marso 2020 pa lang ay nanawagan na ng libreng mass testing at seryosong contact tracing ang mga militanteng grupo laban sa COVID-19. Gayunpaman, libu-libo pa rin ang singil diyan sa ngayon kahit na sa government facilities na nagsasagawa ng testing.

Sa ngayon, mas mainam daw na unahin na lang ang "full return" ng public transportation gaya ng public utility jepneys, maliban pa sa P10,00 relief sa mga naapektuhan ng lockdowns.

"When the vaccines come and the immunizations start, then that is probably the proper time to talk about MGCQ," dagdag ni Zarate.

"If these are not done, we will be locked down our whole life because COVID infections and its variants would become a perennial problem. We cannot just attain herd immunity by opening  up too soon without the needed vaccines and the continuous mass testing and serious contact tracing, among others." — may mga ulat mula kay The STAR/Marc Jayson Cayabyab