High COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, other provinces keep Baguio from stepping into new normal

BAGUIO CITY—Until Metro Manila and neighboring provinces in northern and Central Luzon reduce their coronavirus infections, Baguio may not be ready to lift its modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) on June 15, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said at a Wednesday (June 10) news conference.

The mayor said he would recommend an extension of the city’s quarantine status, stressing that Manila and other provinces are from where visitors would come should the summer capital reopen its tourism industry.

“Personally, we are not ready to go to the new normal,” he said.

The MGCQ has allowed many businesses to resume operations to kickstart the economy following a three-month long lockdown that shuttered shops and factories to prevent a transmission of SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes (COVID-19).

But although some hotels have been allowed to reopen, the industry would still rely on guests from provinces where infections remain high, Magalong said.

“We still have infections in Benguet,” he added, and these patients have interacted with people in Baguio.

Baguio’s most controversial visitor in the last few days was San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora, whose six-vehicle convoy breached the city’s border protocols on June 5. His police escorts have been blamed for the violation.

The city has recorded 36 COVID-19 patients since March.

Edited by TSB