CEBU CITY, Philippines — The cities of Cebu and Mandaue gained the nod of the national Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to remain under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
This means that all enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) rules will remain in effect, at least until May 31, 2020.
In IATF Resolution no. 37, dated May 15, the task force released a new classification of provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent chartered cities in relation to their community quarantine status that would take effect today, May 16.
The IATF said the final recommendation of the IATF Screening and Validation Committee was decided upon “validation by the IATF Sub-TWG on Data Analytics, with updated case numbers and health systems capacity data, and in consideration of the appeals of the Local Government Units.”
Mandaue City, which was placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) by IATF’s May 11-resolution but appealed to remain in ECQ, and Cebu City, which was placed under a modified ECQ for being classified as a “high-risk” area to the coronavirus infection, both remain under the ECQ classification.
READ: Cebu Tri-cities asks IATF to keep them under ECQ
IATF Resolution no. 37, May 15, 2020.
All HUCs in the National Capital Region and the municipality of Pateros, Angeles City, and the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Zambales, and Laguna, which are all classified as high-risk areas are placed under a modified ECQ.
The IATF resolution, however, did not make mention of a new classification for Lapu-Lapu City. IATF earlier placed the city under GCQ effective May 16 but the latter joined the cities of Mandaue and Cebu in appealing to the IATF to remain under ECQ.
Read: Chan continues to wait for IATF reply on his appeal to place Lapu under MECQ
“All other Provinces, HUCs and ICCs not mentioned above (in the ECQ and modified ECQ classifications) shall be placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) until 31 May 2020,” the IATF Resolution reads.
Cebu province, following a consultation with the mayors of the 44 towns and six component cities on Friday, May 15, decided that the province will officially transition to GCQ on Wednesday, May 20./ dcb