NCR Plus ready for quarantine shift
THE NCR Plus is ready for the shift to a general community quarantine (GCQ) with “heightened restrictions,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Friday.
Vergeire said studies by government agencies and experts indicate that the Covid-19 situation in the National Capital Region (Metro Manila) and the four provinces that make up NCR Plus has levelled off to a point that can justify such a shift.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to replace the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in NCR Plus
to GCQ but retaining strict health regulations.
Vergeire said hospitals were now less congested with Covid-19 patients, with the intensive care unit (ICU) bed utilization rate down from a high of 87 percent to 67 percent.
She said one of factors that weighed heavily in favor of the change was the need for the economy to recover from huge losses.
The new classification will be in effect from May 15 to May 31.
Also placed under GCQ with heightened restrictions are the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya in Region 2; Batangas and Quezon in Region 4A; Puerto Princesa in Region 4B; Iligan City in Region 10; Davao City in Region 11; and Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Santiago City and Quirino province in Region 2, Ifugao in CAR, and Zamboanga City in Region 9 were placed in MECQ.
The rest of the country remains under MGCQ or modified general community quarantine — the most relaxed form of lockdown.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said as in an MECQ, “only essential travel into and out of the NCR Plus shall be allowed.”
Public transportation will be operational at capacities and protocols in accordance with the Department of Transportation guidelines, Roque said.
Indoor dine-in shall be at 20-percent venue or seating capacity and outdoor dining at half capacity.
Outdoor tourist attractions in NCR Plus will be limited to 30-percent capacity.
Religious gatherings and wakes, inurnment, and funerals for those who died of causes other than Covid-19 will be limited to 10 percent of venue capacity.
Allowed to operate at 30-percent capacity are noncontact sports, outdoor contact sports, games, scrimmages and personal care services that will not require mask removal, such as salons, parlors and beauty clinics.
Only individuals aged 18 to 65 can leave their residences.
Still not allowed are bars, concert halls, theaters, internet cafés, billiards halls, arcades, amusement parks, fairs, playgrounds, kiddie rides, indoor sports courts and venues and indoor tourist attractions, and venues for meetings, conferences and exhibitions.
Travel from NCR Plus areas, except those conducted by authorized persons outside residence (APORs), remains prohibited.
No fiestas in May
In a prerecorded public address aired on Thursday night, the President also urged Filipinos to forego the celebration of fiestas, many of which fall in May.
“Forego to congregate, to crowd and to hold [fiesta]. There’s no problem. God knows we love him but the problem is the necessary consequence of it all. Be mindful of that because we are still in the pandemic,” he said.
Duterte also reminded the public he will not tolerate individuals who defy health and quarantine protocols.
“Be mindful of that because we are still in a pandemic and there is no way of knowing how long this would last on this planet. I will not allow the violations of the guidelines given by the task force,” he said.
The President warned he will punish local officials who fail to enforce minimum public health regulations.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief LtGen. Guillermo Eleazar said in a press statement on Friday he had ordered all his commanders to see to it that the President’s ban on celebrating fiestas and similar celebrations would be enforced.
Eleazar said the role of the police was very important in preventing events that could turn into virus super spreaders.
He also stressed that the police will no longer issue warnings to violators of health protocols.
“This time, they should already know our minimum health standards. At dapat sa puntong ito ay automatic na sa bawat isa sa atin. Matagal nang bawal ang mass gatherings at alam na alam na natin ang mga paraan para makaiwas mahawaan ng Covid-19 (At this point, it should come automatically to each of us. Mass gatherings have long been banned, and we already know the ways to avoid being infected with Covid-19),” he said.
The Philippines on Thursday reported 6,384 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total cases to 1,050,643.