Cebu City remained under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as its cases of novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues to soar at an alarming rate.
During his public address on Tuesday evening, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said he approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to retain the highest community quarantine classification for the city.
“ECQ [was imposed] since it has many infections. As a matter of fact we know the hospitals and everything are having a hard time coping,” Duterte said.
Cebu City was already placed under ECQ since June 16, 2020.
Alarming trend
Environment Secretary and Visayas Deputy Implementer of the National Task Force on novel coronavirus disease (NTF) Roy Cimatu earlier said he requested Cebu City to retain its ECQ classifications until its Covid-19 cases could be contained.
Cimatu expressed concern over the mounting daily death rate in Cebu City, which reached 13 on Monday–the highest Covid-related deaths in an area within a day– as well as the diminished critical healthcare facilities there.
Once the Covid incidents in the city is finally controlled, Cimatu said the local government could impose localized lockdowns in areas, which will still have large concentration of infections.
Shorter list
Meanwhile, Duterte announced a shorter list of areas under general community quarantine, which still includes the National Capital Region (NCR). The region has been has been under GCQ since June 1, 2020.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominquez III urged the IATF and the President to place NCR and CALABARZON under modified GCQ (MGCQ) classification as soon as possible since 60 to 67 percent of the country’s economic activities happen in the said areas.
Other GCQ areas Benguet, Cavite, Rizal, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Leyte, Ormor, Southern Leyte, Talisay City, Minglanilla, and Cosolacion.
In the previous community quarantine classifications, there were 24 areas given GCQ classifications.
Relaxed classifications
Majority of the country’s provinces and cities are now under MGCQ classification.
Areas under MGCQ should enforce localized community quarantine, zoning; strict enforcement of minimum health standards; scale up health system capacity and isolation facility of overseas Filipino, locally stranded individuals.
MGCQ areas in Luzon include Abra, Baguio City, Ifugao, Kalinga, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Angeles City, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Lucena City, Palawan, Puerto Princesa City, Albay, Camarinez Norte, Camarines Sur, and Naga City.
In the Visayas, these are Capiz, Iloilo, Iloilo City, Negros Occidental, Bacolod City, province of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Tacloban City, and Western Samar.
For Mindanao, MGCQ areas include Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao City, Davao de Oro, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Butuan City, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said areas not included in the said lists are placed under “low risk” MGCQ quarantine classification. Under IATF resolution No. 48, series of 2020, there are two kinds of MGCQ: moderate risk and low risk.
The newly imposed nationwide community quarantine classifications is expected to take effect from July 1, 2020 to July 15, 2020.
Image credits: Alexey Kornylyev | Dreamstime.com
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