Mayors can place barangays, zones under ECQ – Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Local chief executives of areas with eased quarantine measures may impose a more stringent lockdown in communities with a high incidence of coronavirus infection, Malacañang said Friday.

According to presidential spokesman Harry Roque, mayors may implement localized enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in barangays or zone of barangays if needed as long as they would coordinate with the local unit of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

The Palace official said this after President Duterte approved the shift of Metro Manila and other areas into a more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ) starting June 1.

“Hindi po ibig sabihin na palibhasa GCQ wala nang lugar na ma-e-ECQ pa. Ang mga alkalde po ay may kapangyarihan na mag-declare ng ECQ sa ilang mga barangay o ‘di kaya sona ng barangay pero ito po’y dapat gawin in coordination with the local IATF,” Roque said in an interview over dzBB.

(Just because we are now under GCQ doesn’t mean there are areas that cannot be reverted to ECQ. Mayors can declare ECQ in barangays or zone of barangays but it has to be done in coordination with the local IATF.)

Starting June 1, Metro Manila, Davao City, Region II, Region III, Luzon, Region IV-A, Pangasinan, and Albay will be placed under GCQ.

When GCQ takes effect, public transportation will resume operations but on a limited capacity and with the observance of health protocols like physical distancing and mask-wearing.

More sectors would also be allowed to reopen as residents are given more leeway to go out of their residence except for leisure purposes.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country will be under modified GCQ, the lowest form of community quarantine enforced by the government in its effort to avert further spread of the potentially deadly COVID-19 caused by a new strain fo coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2.

KGA