(Eagle News) — The Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ATF-EID) placed Iloilo City under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) effective Sunday, May 23, until May 31.
The IATF, in its resolution no. 116-C issued on Saturday, May 22, said that Iloilo City was “escalated” to MECQ from the General Community Quarantine protocol “upon the appeal of the local government unit” because of rising COVID-19 cases in the city.
Iloilo City mayor Jerry Treñas also issued an executive order (EO 041-A) imposing a temporary suspension of travel from Negros island to Iloilo City and vice versa, pursuant to the IATF resolution placing the city under MECQ. This will take effect from May 25 until May 31.
Mayor Treñas, in an earlier interview with the Eagle News Service program “Mata ng Agila,” said that he had asked the national IATF last Sunday, May 16, to reclassify Iloilo City under MECQ from GCQ.
“The whole country is really facing a second wave. We do not know really where it is coming from,” the mayor said.
He said several provinces in region 6 are experiencing this rise in cases.
The IATF said that the provinces of Apayao, Benguet, and Cagayan shall also “retain their risk-level classification” of MECQ until May 31.
“The risk-level classification of the aforementioned provinces and highly urbanized cities shall be without prejudice to their further reclassification as may be warranted and the declaration of localized Enhanced Community Quarantine in critical areas,” the IATF resolution said.
The resolution, “approved via ad referendum” on May 22, was signed by IATF chair Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and IATF Co-chair Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles.
(Eagle News Service)