By Joseph B.A. Marzan
The national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on May 29 issued Resolution No. 41 recommending the entire Western Visayas under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) from June 1 to June 15, 2020.
Under the new Resolution, Iloilo City will now be joining the rest of the region in sliding towards the MGCQ after the expiry of its GCQ status on May 31.
To recall, IATF Resolution No. 40 issued on May 27, retained Iloilo City under the GCQ while the rest of Western Visayas was shifted to MGCQ.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said on the same day that he will ask the IATF through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to allow the city to slide to MGCQ.
When asked about the city’s recent inclusion for the MGCQ, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas told Daily Guardian that he is not yet aware of the IATF’s latest resolution.
Treñas placed the city under GCQ via Executive Order No. 075-2020, as amended, which started on May 16.
Why is it important for the city to move to the more permissive MGCQ?
For one, the MGCQ allows the reopening of more businesses like the barbershop and salon industry “at fifty percent (50%) of operational capacity, and up to one hundred percent (100%) after 3 weeks,” according to IATF Resolution No. 41.
The city was previously placed under the Enhanced CQ (ECQ) from March 20 to May 15.
Both ECQ and GCQ were instituted in the city to respond to the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Data by the Department of Health indicated as of May 29 that Iloilo City has 19 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with five active cases, 13 recoveries, and one death.
