INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday said all regions in the county are now under different levels of quarantine after provinces and cities that were previously classified as “low-risk areas” that do not need to be under lockdown are now under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
Año, in a briefing in Malacañang, said local executives from 37 provinces and 11 cities from eight regions requested their inclusion in the quarantines amid the continuing threat of the coronavirus disease (COVD-19).
He said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will amend Joint Resolution 35 and adjust the categories and the list of areas covered by each grouping. The resolution was adopted by the IATF and approved by President Duterte on Monday night.
He said many local chief executives, like governors and mayors, said they are not ready to be removed from community quarantine.
The areas in Luzon that will be under MGCQ from May 16 to 31 are Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Dagupan City from Region I (Ilocos Region); Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Palawan, and Puerto Princesa City (Mimaropa); and Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon, Naga City and Legazpi City of Region V (Bicol).
In the Visayas, the areas under MGCQ are the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, and cities of Iloilo and Bacolod in Region VI (Western Visayas), and the provinces of Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Western Samar, Southern Leyte and the cities of Ormoc and Tacloban in Region VIII (Eastern Visayas).
In Mindanao, the areas under MGCQ are the provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis, Oriental and the city of Cagayan de Oro in Region X (Northern Mindanao); the provinces of North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and the city of General Santos in Region XII (Soccsksargen); and the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Cotabato City in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said he will make public the specific protocols under the modified GCQ by Thursday.
Roque said what could be expected in the areas under the modified GCQ are a more relaxed movement of people while observing minimum health standards like the wearing of face masks, physical distancing, handwashing and disinfection; and allowing the resumption of some industries and the workers to resume operations.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Joint Resolution 35 should have excluded the names of the areas covered by the different quarantine categories because several cities and provinces were still under assessment until May 14 to determine if they will be included in the GCQ areas or remain under ECQ.
The resolution, which had the signatures of Duque and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, already included the names of the new quarantine categories and the provinces and cities that fall under each group.
QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS
The barangay quarantine pass system and curfew will continue to be implemented in areas that will transition to MGCQ starting Saturday, DILG undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said on Wednesday.
During the Laging Handa press briefing, Malaya said: “Yung quarantine pass ay kailangan pa rin po ‘yan sa lahat ng mga lugar na nasa quarantine (The quarantine pass is still needed in areas under quarantine),” he said, adding: “Kasi nga po ‘pag sinabing modified quarantine, or modified community quarantine o kung ano mang klaseng community quarantine, ay limitado pa rin po ang paglabas at paggalaw ng ating mga kababayan (Because when we say modified quarantine, or modified community quarantine or whatever type of community quarantine, the movement of people will still be limited).”
Under the GCQ, more business establishments will be allowed to resume operations, including malls. More people are also allowed to go out, especially those who are going back to work, subject to observance of minimum health standards like social distancing and wearing of face mask.
Malaya said LGUs need not seek the approval of the IATF if they decide to lockdown certain barangays to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He said, though, that such decision should be coordinated with the DOH.
“Ang authority, ‘pag nasa barangay level, ay nasa kamay ng mayor. Ang pakiusap lang natin sa mga mayor kung gagawin nila ito ay kailangang mag-konsulta sa Department of Health. Ang gusto natin, especially if it’s a lockdown of a barangay is based on science and (it should be) data driven (The authority, if it’s in the barangay, is in the hands of the mayors. Our only request to the mayor is if they are going to do this, they should consult it with the Department of Health. What we want, especially if it’s a lockdown of a barangay, is that it should be based on science and should be data-driven),” he said.
PNP deputy chief for operations and Joint Task Force Covid Shield commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the PNP will remain strict in implementing quarantine rules.
Eleazar said there are two types of persons who are authorized to go out in the streets: workers of essential establishments allowed to operate, and those who are availing of the services of these establishments.
“If you are part of the workforce you can cross the borders, you are considered a member of the essential industries,” he said, adding: “If you are availing of the basic services, you should avail it basically in your area only. They are the ones we are going to accost.” — With Victor Reyes
