CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella wants certain anti-COVID measures to remain even if the city will be downgraded to a Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) classification in September.
The mayor said downgrading to a lighter MGCQ is good for the economy, but this must never be at the expense of the public’s health especially since the government and the people worked so hard in controlling the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) here.
“Well of course, with the business climate, MGCQ is really favorable. But even until now, even if we have flattened the curve, we still have to seriously consider that the virus is still very much around,” said the mayor.
Labella said he will be meeting the business sector in the next few days to look at the economic impact of MGCQ and how the businesses must prepare for it, especially with regards to anti-COVID measures.
For one, the mayor wants to keep certain leisure establishments such as concert halls and movie houses closed to avoid the gathering of too many people.
He is also planning to retain the use of the quarantine passes in the city, although under the Interagency Task Force guidelines, passes are no longer required under MGCQ areas.
“That is also the one thing that I would like to seriously consider, that we still use the quarantine passes ‘coz whether we like it or not, whether it’s ECQ, MECQ, GCQ, or MGCQ, it’s still quarantine and the virus is still around unless we have already have a vaccine or medicine. I think that’s the time that we can be very open,” he added.
The mayor also plan to retain the control points to monitor the movement of the people, which is one of the most effective ways to control the rise of COVID-19 cases.
The Interagency Task Force (IATF) is set to decide on the classification of the city at the end of August and Labella said he will be prepared for whatever the status will be. /bmjo
Read: Cebu City remains under GCQ until August 31