MANILA – The highly-urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod are going back to the more lenient general community quarantine (GCQ) for the entire month of October after being placed under a stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
In a public address last night, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF-EID) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease for the quarantine status adjustment of the two cities beginning Oct. 1.
Over the weekend, Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City requested the IATF-EID for a GCQ shift after the national task force approved last week his separate request to place the Iloilo City under MECQ.
Bacolod City’s Mayor Evelio Leonardia also wrote to Department of Health secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday for the shift to less stricter GCQ for the entire month of October after being placed under MECQ from Sept. 8 to 30.
COVID-19 response chief implementer Carlito Galvez said last week that the spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Iloilo City and Bacolod City could be due to lack of healthcare facilities in their areas.
“Isa sa mga nakikita namin ay iyong mga nag-modified general community quarantine na cities ay biglang nag-spike,” Galvez said. “We found out na iyong kanilang mga structural facilities ay talagang medyo may kakulangan.”
Other parts of Western Visayas – Iloilo province, Negros Occidental, Guimaras, Aklan, Antique and Capiz – remain under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) from Oct. 1 to 31.
The said Western Visayas areas were placed by IATF-EID under the said status since June.
Meanwhile, apart from Bacolod City and Iloilo City, Duque said that also under GCQ from October were Metro Manila, Batangas, Tacloban City and Iligan City, while Lanao del Sur, including Marawi City, will be under MECQ./PN
