Strict GCQ in NCR stays
The rest of the provinces in the country were under modified GCQ, the most relaxed of all lockdown status set by the government
President Rodrigo Duterte extended the general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions classification of Metro Manila and some areas in the country late Wednesday night.
The President decided to extend the GCQ with heightened restrictions in the National Capital Region (NCR) until 15 August 2021 to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Delta variant.
Also under the same classification from 1 to 15 August are Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, Bulacan, Laguna, Lucena City in Quezon, Cavite, Rizal, Naga City in Camarines Sur, Antique, Aklan, Bacolod City in Negros Oriental, Capiz, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao de
Oro, Davao Occidental, and Butuan City in Agusan del Norte.
Meanwhile, Iloilo province and Iloilo City, as well as the Cagayan de Oro City and Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, will also remain under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until 15 August.
Ilocos Norte, Bataan, LapuLapu City and Mandaue City in Cebu were placed under modified ECQ classification.
Under the normal GCQ are Baguio City, Apayao, City of Santiago and Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Quezon, Batangas, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Guimaras and Negros Occidental.
Zamboanga Sibugay, City of Zamboanga, Zamboanga del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur, Cotabato City are also placed under GCQ.
The rest of the provinces in the country were under modified GCQ, the most relaxed of all lockdown status set by the government.
The said classifications, however, are still subject to the appeals of the local government units, according to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
As this developed, Metro Manila mayors were prepared to impose anew a two-week ECQ in the capital region if the national government has available cash aid for the poor in a bid to curb the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
Benhur Abalos, chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), announced through a statement Wednesday night that all of the 17 mayors in NCR will request the pandemic task force to revert to strict quarantine measures.
“However, if the national government has available funds for the social amelioration program, Metro Manila mayors expressed NCR’s readiness to be classified under ECQ for a period of two weeks,” said Abalos.
“Needless to say, the social amelioration program is important to address the concerns of underprivileged families as they will be the ones who will be greatly affected by the ECQ declaration,” he added.
Local chief executives in the capital region will also ask the pandemic task force to provide additional four million doses of anti-coronavirus vaccines which will be administered during the two week-period.
The NCR mayors also vowed to enforce the government’s strategies in addressing the pandemic, including testing, isolation, tracing, and vaccination efforts.
They will also meet daily to assess the situation in their respective localities, Abalos added.
He added that the Metro Manila mayors have made such requests after health experts warned that daily cases may reach up to 11,000 by the end of September and after the region saw an increase in Covid-19 cases.
“We appeal to the public to avoid complacency and still follow the standard health protocols. Let us not put our guards down,” Abalos said.
Duterte, in his final State of the Nation Address, warned of possible lockdown should the Delta variant further spread in the country. The virus type, first detected in India, was found to be more transmissible than the variant which first emerged in Wuhan, China.
The President admitted he did “not know what to do” about the Delta variant and that he will listen to the advice of the Covid-19 task force.