Metro Manila stays in GCQ as Duterte bares community quarantine status in the rest of the country

July 16 ------ The National Capital Region (NCR) will stay under the general community quarantine (GCQ) until the end of the month but received the yellow card that it will be brought back to the more stringent modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) if the COVID-19 situation worsens. According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, President Duterte originally approved the recommendation of the University of the Philippines (UP) to place Metro Manila under stricter quarantine measures but two COVID-19 czars appealed the move.

“Nag-apela po ang ating Chief Implementer [Carlito Galvez] at ang ating Secretary of the Interior and Local Government [Eduardo Año] dahil nangako ang ating mayors na paiigtingin ang kanilang lockdown; palalakasin ang testing, tracing, at treatment; at patutuparin ng mas malawakan ang restrictions sa GCQ,” he said Wednesday evening. “Kapag hindi pa rin napabagal ang pagdami ng kaso ng COVID-19 sa Metro Manila, posible pong mabalik sa MECQ.” he added.

In an earlier interview with ANC on Wednesday morning, Roque said that easing restrictions in the NCR was out of the question since the case doubling rate in the region was at 7 to 9 percent. “It’s not bad but it warrants the existing GCQ in the region,” he said.

New quarantine classifications

Meanwhile, Roque announced that Cebu City will be placed under the MECQ starting July 16.

The following areas are also placed under the GCQ:

* Laguna

* Cavite

* Rizal

* Lapu Lapu City

* Mandaue City

* Ormoc City

* Southern Leyte

* Zamboanga City

* Butuan City

* Agusan del Norte

* Basilan

* Talisay

* Minglanilla

* Consolacion, Cebu Province

Secretary Roque said some areas in the country were brought back to the GCQ due to their case doubling rate and critical care capacity.

The following areas are placed under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) (medium-risk) with zoning containment strategy and strict local action.

* Benguet

* Baguio City

* Ilocos Sur

* Pangasinan

* Ilocos Norte

* La Union

* Dagupan City

* Cagayan

* Isabela

* Nueva Vizcaya

* Bataan

* Nueva Ecija

* Pampanga

* Bulacan

* Tarlac

* Zambales

* Angeles City

* Batangas

* Quezon

* Lucena City

* Oriental Mindoro

* Occidental Mindoro

* Puerto Princesa City

* Albay

* Masbate

* Camarines Norte

* Camarines Sur

* Catanduanes

* Sorsogon

* Naga City

* Iloilo

* Negros Occidental

* Capiz

* Antique

* Aklan

* Guimaras

* Iloilo City

* Bacolod City

* Negros Oriental

* Bohol

* Cebu Province

* Western Samar

* Leyte

* Biliran

* Tacloban City

* Zamboanga del Sur

* Zamboanga Sibugay

* Zamboanga del Norte

* Misamis Occidental

* Bukidnon

* Lanao del Norte

* Cagayan de Oro City

* Iligan City

* Davao Oriental

* Davao del Norte

* Davao del Sur

* Davao de Oro

* Davao City

* Sultan Kudarat

* Cotabato

* South Cotabato

* General Santos City

* Lanao del Sur

* Maguindanao

Areas not mentioned are under the MGCQ until July 31, 2020.

Roque said on Wednesday morning that four cities and one province appealed their classification. Local government units shall still accept overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and locally stranded individuals (LSIs) but they must be placed under quarantine and should undergo PCR testing as much as possible, he said.

Source: mb.com.ph