GCQ With Heightened Restrictions For NCR Plus Starting May 15, Here’s What It Means

After two months of being under strict quarantine, the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus composed of Metro Manila and the provinces of Rizal, Cavite, Laguna and Bulacan will revert to general community quarantine (GCQ) with “heightened restrictions” from May 15 to 31.

Meanwhile, placed under modified enhanced community quarantine were City of Santiago, Quirino Province, Ifugao and Zamboanga City.

Other areas placed under GCQ were:

•  Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Abra in the Cordillera Administrative Region;
•  Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya in Region 2;
•  Batangas and Quezon in Region 4-A;
•  Puerto Princesa City in Region 4-B;
•  Iligan City in Region 10;
•  Davao City in Region 11; and
•  Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

 The rest of the country will be under modified GCQ or MGCQ.

The new quarantine classifications were announced after the hours-long meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases at Malacañang.

Speaking during the President Duterte’s pre-recorded address aired on Thursday night, May 13, presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. explained that “heightened restrictions” mean that only essential travel into and out of NCR Plus will be allowed.

Public transportation will remain operational at such capacities and protocols in accordance with the Department of Transportation guidelines, while the use of active transportation will be promoted.

Roque said indoor dine-in services in NCR Plus will be allowed at 20 percent venue or seating capacity, while outdoor al fresco dining shall be at 50 percent capacity.

Outdoor tourist attractions in the NCR Plus may be opened at 30 percent capacity, with strict adherence to minimum public health standards.

“Further allowed in the NCR Plus are specialized markets of the Department of Tourism (DOT) following the minimum public health standards and implementation of protocols and restrictions as set by the DOT,” Roque announced.

Roque said religious gatherings and gatherings for  necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall be allowed up to 10 percent of the venue capacity.

Other activities allowed under “heightened restrictions” in GCQ areas include non-contact sports in outdoor contact sports, games, scrimmages, as well as personal care services that allow for services not requiring mask removal, such as salons, parlors and beauty clinics at 30 percent capacity.

Individuals aged 18 to 65 can leave their places of residence in GCQ areas with heightened restrictions.

Prohibitions

Meanwhile, still not allowed to operate are entertainment venues such as bars, concert halls and theaters; recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiards halls and arcades; amusement parks, fairs, playgrounds and kiddie rides; indoor sports courts and venues and indoor tourist attractions; and venues for meetings, conferences and exhibitions.

Interzonal travel also remain prohibited in GCQ areas under heightened restrictions, except those conducted by authorized persons outside of residence, Roque said.

Duterte placed NCR Plus under enhanced community quarantine last March 29 following the surge of COVID-19 cases. The quarantine classification was downgraded to MECQ on April 12 and will take effect until Friday, May 14.

In his address to the nation, the President assured the public that the national government will strictly distribute and deploy the vaccines to the respective areas as soon as the supplies arrive the country.

Earlier, Duterte also reminded the public not to hold fiestas or feasts during the rest of the month, noting the Filipinos are fond of marking fiestas during this time.

“Ang hinihingi ko not only to tone down but forego congregation, crowds… because we have a law. Be mindful of that because we are in a pandemic,” Duterte said. “I will not allow the violations of the guidelines given by the task force,” he added.

Duterte warned he will hold responsible the local officials, especially the barangay officials, when it comes to the enforcement of rules on minimum health protocols.

“We have to be mindful of what is going on and how to prevent it,” he said, reiterating the need to wear masks, observe proper hand hygiene and social distancing,” Duterte said.

‘Beneficial recommendation’

Earlier on Thursday, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos said the Metro Manila Council (MMC) made sure that the recommendation for the next quarantine classification in NCR will be the “most beneficial” to residents.

Abalos did not disclose the MMC recommendation, but revealed that the decision was made by 17 Metro Manila mayors during a meeting with officials of the Department of Health and the National Economic and Development Authority on Wednesday night.

“After a thorough consideration of all factors presented such as hospitals’ capacity, arrival of vaccines, decrease in the number of new coronavirus disease cases and present economic conditions, the NCR mayors have come up with a recommendation as to the quarantine status come May 15,” Abalos said.

“Rest assured that the decision and recommendation reached upon by the Metro Manila mayors will be most beneficial to the residents of the National Capital Region, putting utmost importance to a balance between health and safety of the public and on the economy,” he added.

San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora revealed that he voted for a shift to GCQ, noting that the overall hospital utilization rate is improving in Metro Manila and the active cases are also declining.

“I believe it’s time to reopen the economy but not at a rate that will possibly cause another surge,” he said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

“Because there were GCQs before that had additional allowances, in terms of allowable businesses and industries which made it not a so strict GCQ, which I believe the IATF will somehow figure out,” he said.

Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano did not reveal how he and the other mayors voted on the next quarantine status, but said his city has been ready to enforce a more lenient community quarantine since November last year.

“We studied the possibility of reopening the economy and our efforts to control the spread of COVID-19,” he said.

Cayetano said he believes the economy in Metro Manila can be revived once all the elderly and people who suffer illnesses have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

“If we protect the A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (individuals with comorbidities), we can reopen the economy because hospitalization rates will decrease,” he said during the ceremonial vaccination of the Pfizer vaccine at the Lakeshore Hall on Thursday.

The OCTA Research group earlier said that gradual reopening of Metro Manila is reasonable given the downward trend in new cases. – With Ralph Villanueva, Ghio Ong