Talisay’s downgrade to GCQ awaits RIATF concurrence

Police have set up a checkpoint at the border of Cebu City and Talisay City along the national highway in Barangay Bulacao on Thursday morning, June 18, 2020. | Gerard Vincent Francisco

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The lifting of Talisay City’s modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status and de-escalation to general community quarantine (GCQ) now only awaits the concurrence of the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) before it takes effect.

This is after Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, on Thursday, June 18, 2020, has issued Executive Order No. 17-G mandating the de-escalation of the quarantine classification of the city.

Talisay City, one of the six component cities of Cebu province, has been placed by the national IATF last June 15 under MECQ while the rest of the province is GCQ.

Garcia said her EO will be discussed during the meeting of the Regional IATF on Friday, June 19.

Under IATF Resolution No. 29, as amended by Resolution No. 30, 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.” 

READ: Talisay City may be reverted to GCQ soon

Garcia, who attended a virtual meeting with members of the national IATF on Wednesday evening, June 17, said the national officials agreed that the data from where they based their decision on Talisay City and Cebu province’s status did not match the data on the ground.

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

Garcia said the national IATF has given it upon the RIATF to decide on the concurrence on the lifting of Talisay City’s MECQ and shift to GCQ.

In a meeting with Cebu mayors last Wednesday, June 17, Dr. Jaime Bernadas, regional director of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) and co-chair of the RIATF, said that the regional body earlier endorsed that the province of Cebu, except Talisay City, Consolacion, and Minglanilla, be classified under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) while the three LGUs 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 and Cebu City was ordered to revert back to ECQ./dbs