NCR remains under GCQ; Cebu City back to ECQ

FILE: Passengers of the MRT-3 keep their distance from one another on Saturday (March 14, 2020). (PNA photo by Gil Calinga)

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has retained the general community quarantine (GCQ) classification in Metro Manila and reverted Cebu City to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until June 30.

In streamed meeting late Monday night, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced the new community quarantine classifications based on the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

The IATF’s recommendation to retain, relax, or tighten community quarantines in the country was decided on the basis of case doubling rate of Covid-19 infections and the critical health care capacity.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a statement, confirmed that the IATF recommendation has been approved by the President.

“The increasing number of new cases and widespread community transmission in majority of barangays in the city, as well as consistent case doubling time of less than seven days and significant increase in critical care utilization against critical care capacity were the reasons cited why Cebu City reverted back to ECQ,” Roque said.

Talisay City, a component city under the province of Cebu, is placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until June 30 for the same reasons.

Metro Manila, meanwhile, remains under general community quarantine (GCQ).

The President also placed under GCQ until month’s end Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Santiago City in Region II; Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Tarlac, Olongapo City in Region III; Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon in Region IV-A, and Occidental Mindoro for Luzon.

For the Visayas, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City in Region VII are placed under GCQ.

For Mindanao, Davao City and Zamboanga City in Mindanao are under GCQ.

The rest of the country remains under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) until June 30.

Duterte, meanwhile, reminded the public to observe minimum health standards despite relaxed quarantine restrictions such as physical distancing, wearing of face masks, and hand washing.

“We are gradually easing restrictions to make way for our economic viability as individuals and as a nation. But it does not mean that we will forget our minimum health standards,” he said.

Earlier, Duterte warned that the return to a stricter community quarantine is possible in areas with rising number of Covid-19 cases.

The Department of Health (DOH) said it is aiming to test 1.5 percent of the Philippine population for Covid-19 by the end of July.

As of Monday (June 15), there are a total of 26,420 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country, of which 1,098 are deaths and 6,252 are recoveries.