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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Sotto, Angara keen to keep Metro Manila, other areas under GCQ after June 15

Sotto, Angara keen to keep Metro Manila, other areas under GCQ after June 15

Published Jun 13, 2020 12:00 am
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senators believe that the government should maintain the status quo in Metro Manila and other areas and allow them to remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) as the number of COVID-19 cases remains high.
Sen. Sonny Angara and Sen. Tito Sotto (Manila Bulletin) Sen. Sonny Angara and Sen. Tito Sotto (Manila Bulletin)
Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Saturday (June 13) said the GCQ being implemented should not be lifted until authorities see a decline in the transmission of the novel coronavirus. "I think we should just maintain the GCQ status for now till June 30. I don't see a decline yet," Sotto said in a text message. Senator Juan Edgardo Angara  agreed with Sotto, saying the government can also opt to enforce anew the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in areas with high concentrations of cases. "At some point we really have to learn by doing, so to speak- to adjust to living with the virus along with all the lifestyle changes it entails," Angara added. The government is currently studying whether or not to ease further the lockdowns being imposed in the country's capital and other areas and regions that are under the GCQ. The GCQ, which took effect June 1, was supposed to end on June 15. Aside from Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Pangasinan, Zamboanga City, and Davao City are also under GCQ. The rest of the country, meanwhile, has been placed under modified GCQ (MGCQ), the last of the four-tier quarantine classification imposed by the government before the shift to “new normal.” Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the COVID-19 situation in most parts of the country seemed to be “improving”, but the number of infections remained “high” and "are increasing” in Metro Manila and in Cebu City. President Duterte is expected to announce his decision on June 15, he said. As of June 12, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines is 24,787, and the death toll has reached 1,052.
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