Government placed Cebu under MECQ while Metro Manila is still in GCQ
Most of us waited for President Duterte’s announcement on new quarantine status and other guidelines yesterday. The Department of Health documented 58,850 COVID-19 cases as of July 15 nationwide. Meanwhile, 20,976 of that total have already recovered and 1,614 died.
Cebu as the center of COVID-19 infections in the country
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases suggests quarantine rules for an area based on two factors. The first one is based on how fast the number of infections doubles and the other factor is based on how full critical care facilities are.
However, residents of Cebu City are now under MECQ starting Thursday. The government is easing the restriction even there’s a huge increase in infections. This city is said to be the new epicenter of the local coronavirus outbreak hence Duterte’s administration is paying more attention to it.
Moreover, the President himself appointed Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu as the new COVID-19 response chief for the Visayas. Cimatu brought in hundreds of security troops to enforce the strict stay-at-home measures.
The DOH has also ordered the deployment of doctors to Cebu City to help combat the pandemic there. This directive came after Cebu nurses appealed for hazard pay amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Metro Manila is still under GCQ
As for Metro Manila, the IATF recommended to retain it under GCQ. The task force also recommended putting these areas under GCQ starting today: Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga City, Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Basilan, and Talisay, Minglanilla, and Concepcion in Cebu Province.
Harry Roque explained that the President is giving the region an opportunity to slowly recover in terms of economy. Instead of stricter MECQ, Metro Manila Mayors vowed to increase efforts in testing, tracing, and treating constituents.
On the other hand, Roque warned that the government might revert this decision. He added, “Pero malinaw po sa discussion na pag ‘di pa rin po bumagal ang pagkalat ng COVID-19 sa Metro Manila, posible pong bumalik sa MECQ pagkatapos nitong dalawang linggo.”
Reports from DOH that Metro Manila continued to log the most number of new cases in the country.
What do you think about these resolutions from the government regarding the health crisis?
