By John Clifford Lintao
IF they had their way, all 17 mayors in the National Capital Region would rather want to have a stricter general community quarantine (GCQ) guidelines. Experts however are calling for another two-week extension.
In a virtual press briefing, MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said: “We will recommend na yung GCQ po ay yung kung ano ginawa natin nung July 1, ‘yung first GCQ, yung madaming restrictions.”
“Alam naman natin nangyari noong July 1, after a few days or after a few weeks, nagdagdag tayo ng mga pagbubukas. Of course we understand that, para sa ating ekonomiya,” he added.
“Pero kung tatanungin yung mga mayors talaga, tanggap namin kung maggi-GCQ man, we want a stricter GCQ. Meaning, ano yung guidelines nung una, nung July 1, yun na lang muna.“
Garcia hinted at Metro Manila mayors’ wish: continued implementation of localized lockdown in areas with high number of COVID-19 community transmission of COVID-19 and a standard time bracket for curfew hours.
“Ang gusto talaga nila one for all, all for one, meaning isang [quarantine status] lang, hindi paiba-iba,” he said.
The President will announce on Monday, August 17, whether or not areas under MECQ would be downgraded to GCQ.
Metro Manila mayors are also amenable to remaining under MECQ, he added.
“Kumbaga balanse, meaning kahit na ano man diyan, MECQ o GCQ, siyempre may pros and cons. Yun yung hinihimay namin,” he said when asked on the definite stand of the mayors regarding the next quarantine protocol in Metro Manila.
He said they are leaving the decision to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), the government’s policy-making body in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duterte placed Metro Manila and nearby provinces under MECQ or stricter lockdown from August 4 to 18 following pleas from the medical community for a “timeout” amid rising COVID-19 cases being admitted to hospitals and recalibration of strategies to combat the virus.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines breached the 160,000 mark on Sunday after the Department of Health announced 3,420 new infections, raising the total to 161,253.
The bulk of the newest cases still came from epicenter Metro Manila with 2,091 new infections, followed by Laguna with 263, Cavite with 149, Batangas with 137, and Rizal with 106.
Meanwhile, experts from the University of the Philippines recommended a 15-day extension of the MECQ in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, warning that a “premature” lifting may lead to an “uncontrolled” growth of COVID-19 cases.
In their latest report, the UP OCTA research team said there could be 210,000 COVID-19 cases in the country by the end of the month if the MECQ stays imposed over certain areas.
Enforcing the MECQ only until August 18 may lead to 230,000 cases, while a general community quarantine may lead to 250,000, the researchers said.
They said a 15-day MECQ extension will allow local government units to improve tracking, quarantine, and isolation procedures and the public and private sectors to ensure workplaces are safe.
This developed as Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco said that the percentage of COVID-19 cases in the city has decreased following the enforcement of a two-week lockdown.
Tiangco cited data from the Department of Health (DOH) showing that from 37 percent, the positivity rate went down to 15 percent.
“Yes, mayroon ng resulta. Mas bumaba po ang aming positivity rate. Bumaba na po.. Noong una 37 [percent]… August 11, 15 percent kami,” Tiangco said.
Tiangco placed Navotas City under 14-day lockdown from July 16 to 29 to prevent residents from leaving their homes for non-essential reasons.
Tiangco said he voted to extend the modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila for another two weeks during Sunday night’s meeting with fellow Metro Manila mayors.