President Rodrigo Duterte formally announced that Metro Manila will transition to a more relaxed general community quarantine or GCQ by June 1.
Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) to downgrade the quarantine restrictions over the country’s capital region.
“We are not happy to put you in this place, but after review, maybe we can,” Duterte said in an address to the nation aired Thursday night.
This is also in agreement with the unanimous recommendation of all 17 mayors of the National Capital Region. Their rationale is to prop up the economy by allowing more nonessential businesses to reopen.
Barangays deemed to be “high risk” due to the high number of COVID-19 cases will be subject to “zoning,” which will be implemented by the National Task Force on COVID-19.
Starting June 1, buses will be allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity in the National Capital Region, but modern jeepneys are still not allowed to operate for three more weeks. Trains and buses plying train service routes will also be operational, along with shuttles of private companies, transport network vehicle services such as GrabCar, taxis, tricycles, and point-to-point buses.
Residents in GCQ areas will be allowed to leave their houses, except for those aged under 21, as well as those 60 and older, to limit infections.
The following areas will also shift to GCQ come June 1:
- Entire Region 2 (Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Santiago City)
- Entire Region 3 (Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac)
- Entire Region 4-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Lucena City)
- Albay
- Pangasinan
- Davao City
The rest of the country will be placed under modified general community quarantine.
As of writing, the DOH reported 15,588 confirmed COVID-19. Recoveries have reached 3,598, while 921 have died of the disease.
