Metro Manila Eases To GCQ

As Metro Manila transi-tions today to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) and more relaxed measures to help jumpstart the economy, Malacañang rallied the nation not to waste the sacrifices made over the past few weeks and continue to observe health precautions such as mask-wearing and safe distancing in public.

- Chito Chavez

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that starting today, June 1, Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Pangasinan, Zamboanga City, and Davao City will be under the GCQ, while the rest of the country will shift to Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that quarantine passes will no longer be needed when leaving the residence beginning today in local government units (LGUs) under general community quarantine (GCQ) except in buffer and critical zones and areas considered to be high-risk.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said that areas under selective lockdown have high cases of COVID-19 and will be referred to as critical zones while the adjacent barangays will be called contained zones. Other surrounding areas with no confirmed COVID-19 cases are identified as buffer zones.

Curfew hours will still be imposed under the GCQ as going out of the residence is not on “unli (unlimited)’’ hours and quarantine passes may be required by the LGUs in critical areas.

Be more vigilant

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion appealed for more vigilance and continuous testing as the country’s capital, along with nearby provinces eases to GCQ even as he announced the back-to-back efforts of the private sector and the government on mitigating COVID-19 through Project ARK Rapid Testing, PCR Initiative, and Seroprevalence testing.