BY NOEL TALACAY
MAYORS in Metro Manila want more businesses to operate regardless of what quarantine classification the National Capital Region would be in after June 15, Benhur Abalos Jr. of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said yesterday.
Abalos, who is also the chairman of the Metro Manila Council, said local executives understand the need to impose restrictions in movement to control the spread of the coronavirus, which is why they are pushing for the gradual reopening and expansion of business operations in the region.
“We are looking forward to opening the economy in the region. However, we understand, too, that it should be gradual,” Abalos said, adding the MMC would abide with the final decision of President Duterte and the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emergency Infectious Disease (IATF-EID).
The general community quarantine with restrictions classification imposed in Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal, or collectively called the NCR Plus, will end tomorrow, June 15. An announcement on the new quarantine classification in the bubble is expected anytime.
Abalos said the previous strict lockdowns in Metro Manila have successfully managed the COVID-19 situation in the region, noting that the number of average cases and the hospital utilization rate are already on a downtrend.
Abalos said the MMC has yet to discuss changes on curfew hours, if any, and come up with guidelines on allowing fully-vaccinated senior citizens to already go out of their houses.
The independent OCTA Research Group, on the other hand, said quarantine restrictions in the NCR can already be eased as COVID-19 cases are already going down.
OCTA fellow Guido David, citing his team’s monitoring report dated June 12, said NCR now contributes only 27 percent of COVID cases in the national daily tally, from the previous 97 percent during its peak from March 29 to April 4.
Guido said the virus’ reproduction rate in the metro is also down to 0.72, while the positivity rate is at 8 percent. The hospitalization rate in Metro Manila is at a “safe level” of 40 percent.
“We support (the shift to normal GCQ) because the situation in the NCR is already getting better. We can take some risks in further opening businesses,” David told ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo.
He, however, urged the public not to be complacent and instead, continue to strictly follow health protocols such as the wearing of face masks and shields, observing physical distancing when in public places, and not attending mass gatherings.
Guido said the COVID-19 situation in Davao and Cagayan de Oro cities are now “improving.”
“The highest number of new cases per day is in Davao City, but the cases are now also going down. But we cannot say yet if it is already on a downward trend,” he said in Filipino.
The group also noted a “significant increase” in the number of new cases in Negros Oriental, Leyte, and Agusan del Norte but did not give details.
BORDER CONTROL
PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar said quarantine control points (QCPs) will continue to implement tight border controls to limit travel movement in and out of the NCR Plus bubble.
“We guarantee that the PNP will maintain heightened measures on border control points so that the virus will no longer spread from one place to another,” Eleazar said.
He added: “For now, our policemen are still practicing strict measures at quarantine control points especially since there is a surge of cases in other regions outside of Metro Manila.
We are trying to prevent the further spread of the virus in places considered as low-risk areas.”
Eleazar said that the PNP will abide by the guidelines issued by the national government if there would be changes on border controls.
The PNP maintains QCPs to ensure there is no unnecessary or non-essential travel, especially from areas under strict quarantine to those with less strict quarantine.
Policemen manning these checkpoints have been instructed to allow the unhampered passage of vehicles carrying essential goods or those on important or essential travel. Random inspections of vehicles are also conducted at the QCPs. — With Ashzel Hachero and Victor Reyes
