Cebu City’s skyline. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The business sector in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue are now optimistic that the economy’s health will be stronger by December.
This after the national government’s anti-COVID task force approved recommendations to put the two cities under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), a more relaxed quarantine status compared to the present Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).
Felix Taguiam, president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), said placing Cebu City under GCQ would greatly help businesses on their road to recovery.
“The latest IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease) declaration for Cebu under GCQ may bring relief to the economy, and business owners are now preparing for the eventual reopening,” Taguiam said in a text message sent to CDN Digital.
Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) president Steven Yu also shared the same sentiments with Taguiam.
“We hope to see the jump-starting of more economic activities so we can slowly recoup the lost momentum… We hope that this will lead to a stronger Q4 (fourth quarter),” Yu said in a separate text message.
The IATF on Monday, September 6, approved the recommendations to downgrade the quarantine statuses of the tri-cities of Cebu.
The cities of Cebu and Mandaue will be shifting to a more relaxed GCQ. Lapu-Lapu City, on the other hand, will transition to ‘GCQ with heightened restrictions’.
The new quarantine classification will take effect starting this Wednesday, September 8, until September 30.
The three largest cities on the island are currently under a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) until September 7.
Cebu province, on the other hand, will remain under ‘GCQ with heightened restrictions’. Additional stringent protocols are expected in areas under this classification compared to those under purely GCQ.
In the meantime, the two business leaders said Cebu and Mandaue’s MECQ phase should serve as a lesson to everyone to always observe minimum health standards.
They reminded the public to always follow health protocols such as the proper wearing of face masks, frequent hand washing, and physical distancing as well as businesses to invest in safety parameters and systems.
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