NCR ready to go back to GCQ: Lorenzana

FILE: EXERCISE RESTRAINT AROUND PH WATERS. Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana appeals to foreign nations to exercise restraint while their warships pass through the West Philippine Sea and waters near the country, during the media briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Monday (June 10, 2019). Lorenzana said any imprudent behavior could lead to an international incident or conflict, as he cited the two incidents between US, China and Russian warships in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea in October 2018 and in June 2019. (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – With the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases slowly going down, National Task Force Against Covid-19 chairman Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the National Capital Region (NCR) is ready to return to less strict general community quarantine (GCQ).

“I think the trend is going down, yesterday (Sunday) mga 3,000 na lang yung bagong (there were only 3,000 new cases) down from 6,000 previously. So, I think we are ready to go down,” Lorenza said in an interview with ANC’s Headstart on Monday.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Aug. 2 approved the recommendation to revert Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan to second most stringent modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from Aug.

4 to 18 after medical front-liners called for a timeout to allow the government to recalibrate its Covid-19 response efforts.

Lorenzana said the country cannot continue imposing lockdowns as it would further hurt the economy which suffered deepest contraction in 29 years after the economic output shrank 16.5 percent in the second quarter this year.

“Sa katunayan nga, kahapon (Sunday) nagsalita na si (Finance) Secretary (Carlos) Dominguez (III) na ang sabi nya, we have to do something to open up the economy, hindi pwedeng lockdown na lang tayo ng lockdown dahil nga baka mas marami pang mamatay sa gutom kesa sa Covid kung walang trabaho ang mga tao (Yesterday, Secretary Dominguez said we must do something to open up the economy. We cannot go on imposing more lockdowns as many more people might die of hunger than of Covid-19 if people will no longer have jobs),” he added.

Lorenzana said Phase 2 of the National Action Plan to combat Covid-19 is already in place since Aug. 1 and some of its strategies include identifying areas with outbreaks and containing them.

The plans were approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease and aim to prevent lockdowns of towns or cities if outbreak areas can be identified.

Lorenzana said the strategies will also minimize disruption caused by quarantine measures.