By Fernan Angeles
BY the first quarter of next year, the entire country would have been placed under the most relaxed community quarantine protocol, says Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire.
Vergeire said the DOH along with the Inter-Agency Task Force against COVID-19 have already set their target seen to determine whether or not a local government may qualify under a modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
“Isa po diyan ang indicators for gatekeeping sa local governments. Ibig sabihin kailangan ‘yung mga surveillance system, contact tracing ay efficient,” Vergeire said.
Vergeire addsed that local governments should also have sufficient capacity to prevent the spread of the disease and have efficient measures in place to detect, isolate, and treat infected individuals.
“Kapag naa-achieve na target na ‘yan pwede na sila mag-shift to MGCQ,” Vergeire said.
“Aming tinitignan na by the first quarter of 2021, hopefully, all local governments might be able to shift to MGCQ already because they have achieved their gatekeeping indicators,” she noted.
Currently, the rest of the country; except for Metro Manila, Batangas, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Tacloban City, Lanao del Sur, and Iligan City; are under an MGCQ – which is characterized as the loosest quarantine classification and a precursor to the “new normal.”
Under MGCQ, most businesses are allowed to resume operations at full capacity while mass gatherings are also allowed, albeit at 50 percent venue capacity.