San Juan City Mayor Francisco Zamora has expressed elation over Pres. Duterte's decision to retain Metro Manila’s quarantine status to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) until the vaccines against COVID-19 are rolled out in the country.
On February 8, the mayors of the metropolis, voting 9-8, recommended to the national government to shift Metro Manila to the least strict Modified General Quarantine (MGCQ) status starting March.
"The president's statement is in line with my vote during the Metro Manila Council meeting to keep Metro Manila under GCQ to ensure that the cases are kept as low as possible - minimize transmission and prevent more deaths," Zamora said in his statement, Tuesday (February 23).
Both the national and local governments are doing everything they can to minimize the effects of GCQ on the economy and livelihood of the citizens, the mayor added.
According to him, San Juan City is implementing various programs and assistance to their constituents to help them recover from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic such as allowing 75 percent operational capacity of businesses and the continuous distribution of food packs.
Zamora was one of the eight mayors who voted against placing Metro Manila under MGCQ due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
OCTA Research has earlier warned against the easing of the quarantine status to MGCQ, cautioning the government that such might lead to the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.