Quarantine protocols continue under MGCQ — Mariano

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police Colonel Roderick Mariano, director of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), said police deployments and quarantine control points will continue despite the downgrade of most of Cebu province’s component local government units (LGUs) into a more relaxed modified general community quarantine starting this Wednesday, July 1, 2020.

The police official said the quarantine protocols should remain strictly implemented as the downgrade to MGCQ does not mean that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis is gone.

At past midnight this Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that Cebu province, except Talisay City and the municipalities of Minglanilla and Consolacion, will already be under MGCQ.

The community quarantine status of the provinces and highly urbanized cities in Central Visayas, as announced by Health Sec. Francisco Duque III on July 1, 2020. Cebu province, sans the city of Talisay and municipalities of Minglanilla and Consolacion, is now under MGCQ.

The three LGUs, which has the most COVID-19 cases in the province, remain under GCQ alongside the highly urbanized cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

Read: MGCQ in Cebu province except Talisay, Minglanilla, Consolacion

“Sa ngayon, hindi muna namin babaguhin yung aming deployment despite na bumaba yung [quarantine classification]some of the municipalities natin at cities na nasa MGCQ,” Mariano said.

Mariano said the deployment of the police and continued quarantine control points, including those in the barangay borders, is meant to still limit the non-essential movement of persons and prevent the spread of SARS-CoV 2, the virus causing COVID-19.

The relaxation of the restrictions under MGCQ, Mariano said, is only for persons who would be going out to work but not for those who are still barred from going out based on quarantine protocols.

Mariano added that he will still have to discuss with their higher ranks on the adjustments that will be made in the areas under MGCQ.

In the national Interagency Task Force (IATF) Omnibus Guidelines on the implementation of community quarantine, persons under 21 and over 60 years old, those with comorbidities and pregnant women are still ordered to remain inside their residences “at all times.”

“The movement of all persons in areas placed under MGCQ shall be limited to accessing essential goods and services, for work in the offices or industries permitted to operate hereunder, and for other activities permitted under this Section,” the IATF guidelines read.

In the same guidelines, mass gatherings such as movie screenings, concerts, sporting events, and other entertainment activities, religious services, and work conferences are already allowed as long as the attendees will be limited to half of the venue’s capacity. Dine-in services are also allowed provided that they only cater to 50 percent of their original capacity.

Despite the relaxed protocols, Mariano called on the Cebuanos, who have recently been branded as hard-headed and non-compliant to quarantine protocols by the president, to still be responsible and refrain from attending mass gatherings.

“Hindi natin masabi ngayon. Hindi pa naman tapos ang problema natin sa COVID so we have to be responsible na huwag tayong makikihalubilo muna sa mga gatherings,” Mariano said.

(We cannot yet say [what will happen next.]  Our COVID problem is still far from over so we have to be responsible against attending gatherings.) / dcb