Talisay City may be reverted to GCQ soon

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Talisay City has a chance to be downgraded to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) as early as Friday, June 19, 2020.

This after Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said she will endorse to the Regional Interagency Task Force (RIATF) to lift the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status of Talisay City, which was earlier imposed by the national IATF.

During a meeting with the mayors on Wednesday afternoon, June 17, 2020, Garcia and mayors of towns and component cities agreed to lift the MECQ in Talisay City and uniform its classification with the rest of the province, which are all under GCQ.

Garcia is set to issue an executive order to that effect, which will be subject to the approval of the RIATF. 

Read: DOH-7 ‘disowns’ Leachon’s data showing Talisay has zero recoveries

Under IATF Resolution no. 29, provincial governors have the authority to “impose, lift, or extend ECQ in component cities and municipalities upon the concurrence of the relevant regional counterpart body of the IATF.” 

Dr. Jaime Bernadas, regional director of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) and co-chair of the RIATF, who also attended the meeting, vowed to tackle the reclassification of Talisay City in the regional body.

READ: Gullas to DOH: ‘Talisay has 43 recoveries, not zero

Bernadas also disclosed that in the earlier recommendation of the RIATF, they endorsed that the province of Cebu, except Talisay City, Consolacion and Minglanilla, be classified under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ). The three component LGUs, on the other hand, were recommended to continue being under GCQ.

However, during the national IATF’s announcement last June 15, Cebu province was ordered to continue under GCQ while Talisay City was placed under MECQ. /bmjo