Malacanang rejects Bacolod plea to relax quarantine status

BACOLOD CITY—The provincial capital of Negros Occidental will remain on general community quarantine (GCQ), a looser form of pandemic lockdown, until the end of November, according to officials.

The Office of the President, through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, issued a memorandum on Friday (Oct. 30) ordering GCQ for Bacolod City until Nov. 30.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia earlier appealed to the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) for Bacolod’s quarantine status to be loosened to modified GCQ (MGCQ) starting on Sunday (Nov. 1).

But the NIATF decided to keep GCQ in Bacolod to further reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in the city.

Leonardia heeded the order and issued a directive extending GCQ until end of November.

Curfew, he said, will remain from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Religious gatherings are allowed but only up to 30 percent seating capacity of churches. Only worships or church services, like Mass, are allowed.

Several businesses are still not allowed to operate. Heeding a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) order, these establishments will remain closed during GCQ:

• language schools
• driving schools
• dancing schools
• acting and voice schools
• moviehouses
• libraries
• archive establishments
• museums
• cultural centers
• tourist destinations like water parks, beaches and resorts

Sale of alcoholic drinks is restricted and allowed only from noon to 6 p.m. Consumption of these beverages are barred in public places and allowed only in private residences.

TSB