Metro Manila mayors recommend extension of GCQ until yearend

Niño Jesus Orbeta/Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila mayors have recommended to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases the retention of the general community quarantine (GCQ) status in the National Capital Region until the end of 2020, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said Monday.

Olivarez said the Metro Manila Council (MMC), which he heads, had a meeting Sunday night together with members of the IATF regarding quarantine restrictions.

The MMC is composed of Metro Manila mayors.

“Pinagpulungan po doon na para maiwasan po natin yung spike o yung tinatawag na wave na susunod, ay atin pong nirekomenda, ng MMC, sa IATF po natin na manatili po ang GCQ until end of the year,” Olivarez said in an interview on Teleradyo.

(We met and discussed that to prevent another spike or wave of COVID-19 infections, we recommended to the IATF to maintain the GCQ status until the end of the year.)

Metro Manila, Batangas, Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Tacloban City, Iligan City, and Lanao del Sur were placed under GCQ for the entire month of November while the rest of the country remained under the less stringent modified GCQ status.

As of Sunday, the Philippines reported over 425,000 COVID-19 cases, including 387,616 recoveries and 8,255 deaths.

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