MANILA, Philippines — The government’s inter-agency task force against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has recommended the lowering of Metro Manila’s status to a less strict general community quarantine (GCQ) while other high-risk barangays (villages) for the coronavirus infection will be placed under total lockdowns starting June 1, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Thursday.
“For Metro Manila, ang recommendation natin ay mag-undergo na siya ng GCQ except yung mga high-risk barangays niya masasabing critical zones, mananatili under total lockdown,” Año, who is vice chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said over CNN Philippines when asked if the IATF has a recommendation for Metro Manila when the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) ends on May 31.
(For Metro Manila, our recommendation is for it to undergo GCQ except for those high-risk barangays or critical zones will still be placed under total lockdown.)
Asked about the timeline of their recommendation, Año said the task force is proposing that Metro Manila be placed under GCQ until June 15.
Año did not go into detail but mentioned that the members of the IATF will have a meeting later with President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss the recommendation further.
Año explained that villages that recorded more than two COVID-19 cases in one week will be under total lockdowns.
“Ito yung mga barangay na may more than two cases in seven days, ang ilalagay natin sa total lockdown para sigurado nating na-i-stop yung spread dito sa community,” Año said when asked about protocols for placing villages under lockdown.
(Barangays will be placed under total lockdown if they have more than two cases in seven days so that we can ensure to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the community.)
Mayors may declare total lockdowns of high-risk areas but the lockdown order will still be reviewed by the regional IATF, Año said.
“Ang ating mga mayors pwede magdeklara kaagad ng total lockdown at ito namang declarasyon niya ay rereviewhin ng regional IATF at magcoconcur siya” he said.
(Mayors can declare immediately a total lockdown but this will still be reviewed by the regional IATF who will concur.)
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque earlier confirmed that Duterte will make new pronouncements on Thursday about the community quarantine measures being enforced in the country.
On Tuesday, all 17 mayors of Metro Manila have agreed to recommend to the IATF the downgrading of Metro Manila to a GCQ status on June 1, citing economic issues in their respective jurisdictions.
To recall, Metro Manila was placed under a MECQ starting May 16 until May 31.
Areas under a GCQ will still have movements restricted but the government and almost all industries will be allowed to operate up to 75 percent of their workforce except those involved in leisure and entertainment activities.
As of Wednesday, the Department of Health reported 380 new cases of COVID-19 as the total number of COVID-19 infections breached the 15,000th mark. Of the 380 new cases, 67 percent or 254 cases were from the National Capital Region.