‘MGCQ shift need not be automatic’

We want to see the roadmap for the vaccination program to make sure there is a calibrated opening of the economy

Despite the arrival of vaccines against coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the shift to modified community quarantine (MGCQ) from general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila should not be automatic.

Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro made the remark Sunday, saying the government should take into consideration the number of people who will actually receive the jab.

Teodoro was referring to the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to maintain the status quo on the quarantine classification in the National Capital Region (NCR) until the vaccine rollout.

“We still need to await the development in the vaccine rollout. It’s not automatic,” Teodoro said in a radio interview.

On Saturday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced that Duterte has decided to retain the GCQ status in Metro Manila and nine other areas in the country.

“Those who will be vaccinated are only health care workers under the principle of reciprocity, meaning we want to give them the needed protection since they have greater risk of contracting the virus because of their exposure,” Teodoro added.

Teodoro noted that the 1.1 million vaccines from Sinovac and AstraZenica will be allotted to health care workers.

“This does not include the workers, the drivers, the poor in the initial rollout of the vaccine with the arrival of the initial batch in the Philippines,” he said.

Teodoro said it is important to inoculate a significant numbers of people before deciding to ease the restrictions in the NCR amid the continued increase in the number of Covid cases.

“We want to see the roadmap for the vaccination program to make sure there is a calibrated opening of the economy,” he said.

Teodoro noted that in Marikina alone, Covid cases are not stable.

“Last week, there is an upward trend in the Covid cases, although at present, there is a downward trend again,” he noted.

He said that the increase in the number of Covid cases in the city could be attributed to the new variant that is now affecting the country.

“Before, if a member of the family is affected by Covid, not all are infected, but now, if one caught the virus, all the family members are infected and its possible the new variant is the reason for this,” Teodoro said.

Aside from Metro Manila, Apayao, Baguio City, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Batangas, Tacloban City, Iligan City, Davao City and Lanao del Sur will be under GCQ for the whole month of March while the rest of the country will be under MGCQ.