By Fernan Angeles
MALACAÑANG made an early announcement of new community quarantine protocols imposed over the entire archipelago – except for Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal whose fate would be made known to the public on Monday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the quarantine classifications for implementation all over the country in the next two weeks, was a decision that was reached at the most recent meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF-EID).
Covering a two week-period starting August 16 until August 31, the following would be placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ):
- Nueva Ecija
- Batangas
- Iloilo City
- Cebu City
- Lapu Lapu City
- Mandaue City
- Talisay City
- Municipality of Minglanilla in Cebu
- Municipality of Consolacion in Cebu
“The rest of the country are placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ), with some provinces, highly urbanized cities and independent component cities with strict enforcement of local action,” Roque said during the virtual press briefing.
Interestingly, the fate of Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal, which have been placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) classification since August 4, would be announced on Monday.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier imposed lockdown measure on these said areas to allow an extremely exhausted medical frontliners some time to breath amid an influx of patients found to have been infected by the deadly COVID-19.
“Ang quarantine classification ng National Capital Region, probinsiya ng Bulacan, probinsiya ng Cavite, Laguna, at Rizal ay iaanunsiyo ng ating Presidente galing sa Davao sa darating na Lunes,” Roque was quoted as saying.
“The National Task Force (NTF) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) are directed to ensure that areas flagged for local action shall implement strict lockdown of areas in line with the Zoning Containment Strategy, strict enforcement of minimum public health standards, and intensified tracing and quarantine of close contacts and isolation of confirmed cases,” Roque said.
Under the Omnibus Guidelines of the Community Quarantine in the Philippines, ECQ refers to the “implementation of temporary measures imposing stringent limitations on movement and transportation of people, strict regulation of operating industries, provision of food and essential services, and heightened presence of uniformed personnel to enforce community.”
GCQ refers to the implementation of temporary measures limiting movement and transportation, regulation of operating industries, and presence of uniformed personnel to enforce community quarantine protocols.
MGCQ refers to the transition phase between GCQ and the New Normal, when temporary measures are relaxed: limiting movement and transportation regulation of operating industries, and presence of uniformed personnel to enforce community quarantine protocols become less necessary.
MGQC was divided into two categories: one which requires “strict local action” including zoning, localized community quarantine, strict enforcement or minimum health standards, and scale up of health systems; and the other category, which classifies areas as “low risk.”
On Friday, the Philippines recorded 153,660 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of this number, 71,405 recovered while 2,442 died.