MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos. Image from the MMDA website
MANILA, Philippines — Easing quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila should be done gradually to sustain the gains in the COVID-19 numbers in the region, the chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Tuesday.
MMDA chair Benhur Abalos said mayors of Metro Manila have yet to meet to come up with a recommendation on the next quarantine status in the capital region, but added that if he will be asked, the easing of quarantine restrictions should be done in a gradual manner.
“Talagang lahat naman ay pababa ngunit para sa’kin mahirap biglain ito. Dapat unti-unti lang talaga tayo siguro. Kaya ang option siguro dito either i-status quo mo ‘yung ngayon, at may mga nagsasabing GCQ (general community quarantine) or siguro gitna, na para bang ‘yung with restrictions unti-unti, hindi bigla,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.
(The cases are going down but for me it is hard to ease quarantine restrictions abruptly. Maybe we should do this gradually. Maybe the option is to put the current quarantine level under status quo, and some are saying a GCQ or something in between should be implemented so that the restrictions will be gradually eased.)
Metro Manila and four neighboring provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan–also known as NCR Plus–are under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until May 14. MECQ is the second strictest quarantine status in the country next to ECQ.
According to Abalos, mayors of Metro Manila are set to meet in the coming days to discuss their recommendation for the next quarantine status. He added that among the topics to be discussed are border restrictions in the NCR Plus and the current operating capacities in commercial establishments.
On Monday, Malacañang said that Metro Manila and four adjacent provinces may shift to the less restrictive GCQ after May 14.
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