MANILA – The cities of Iloilo and Bacolod remain under “medium risk” modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) at least until the end of the month like the rest of Western Visayas.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) approved the appeal of Mayor Jerry Treñas and Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
Iloilo Province, Negros Occidental and Capiz also retained its “medium risk” MGCQ status until July 31. Guimaras, Aklan and Antique, meanwhile, moved up to “medium risk” MGCQ after being placed under “low-risk” MGCQ the past 15 days.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made this announcement. He read IATF-EID’s latest resolution approved by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The task force first extended MGCQ in the region beginning June 16 to 30. Duterte’s announcement last July 1 to 15 was the second extension.
Under “medium risk” MGCQ, strict local action is to be implemented include zoning, localized community quarantine, strict enforcement or minimum health standards, and scale up of health systems.
Isolation facilities for returning Filipinos from overseas, locally stranded individuals and their close contacts, meanwhile, will be scaled up in these areas along with healthcare system.
Data from the Department of Health as of Wednesday showed Western Visayas’ confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases at 688 – 430 were active cases. There were also 12 casualties and a total of 246 recovered patients.
Cebu City, meanwhile, has shifted to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) after being placed under ECQ since last month, while Metro Manila stayed under general community quarantine amid recommendation for them to be placed under modified ECQ.
Roque said there were cities which appealed their supposed return to general community quarantine (GCQ) from the MGCQ due to their case doubling rate and critical care capacity.
“There were four cities and one province which appealed their classification,” Roque said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel. “It was acted upon by the IATF and the recommendation has been given to the President.”
“We have reined in the COVID-19 threat to the extent that we can open up to 75 percent of the economy.”
Roque further said that the IATF-EID might even consider declaring some areas under the new normal in the coming few days but remains far fetch as the government wants the whole country to still be under some form of quarantine.
‘BENDED CURVE’
Health secretary Francisco Duque III, meanwhile, retracted his earlier statement that the Philippines has “successfully flattened” the COVID-19 pandemic curve since last April.
In a series of Twitter post hours after his controversial statement over at the Pre-State of the Nation Address forum, Duque explained that what he meant was the country’s COVID-19 infection curve has been “bent” since April.
“Our case doubling time in April passed the three day doubling time mark; Now, July 15 – it is at eight days CDT (past the seven-day doubling time mark),” the Health secretary tweeted.
“This means we bent the curve in April after the March ECQ but we are seeing an increase in cases due to the expanded testing capacity and community transmission as we allow movement of people,” he added.
Duque was referring to the transitioning of Metro Manila to GCQ last June 1 – a protocol that allows 75 percent of the workforce of each company to physically go to work, provided that social distancing is observed.
Duque said that the government will scale up its pandemic response and its protection of the vulnerable amid the pandemic as the DOH has procured over six million Personal Protective Equipment for healthcare workers, of which four million have already been distributed.
Based on the latest data from DOH on Wednesday afternoon, the Philippines has confirmed 58,850 cases of COVID-19, of which 1,614 have died while 20,976 have recovered./PN
