Don't rush easing quarantine in NCR, Calabarzon —expert

Easing quarantine restrictions in the National Capital Region and Calabarzon amid the COVID-19 threat should meet certain requirements, an expert from the University of the Philippines (UP) said on Wednesday.

“Hindi puwedeng bukas puwede na,” Ranjit Singh Rye of OCTA Research told GMA News Online.

On Wednesday, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III called for placing Metro Manila and Calabarzon to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) from GCQ to allow businesses to slowly recover.

Dominguez III suggested targeted lockdowns only in companies and barangays with high number of COVID-19 cases.

Rye, a faculty member of the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines, said there should be two weeks of successive decline in COVID-19 cases in the area before opening up.

“In line of opening up slowly, dapat may period for simulation , and practice and training…Hindi puwedeng bukas puwede na, kailangan the local government should be prepared,” Rye said.

“The businesses have to be prepared. Dapat ‘yung guidelines for the businesses are clear. Hindi nga e. Until today, dito sa mall ang gulo gulo,” he added.

Aside from the decline in COVID-19 cases, Rye noted that the decision should also consider the positivity rate as well as the capacity of isolation and critical care facilities.

The expert warned that easing the restriction in Metro Manila and Calabarzon prematurely could worsen the COVID-19 situation like what happened in Cebu City.

From general community quarantine, Cebu City returned to ECQ on June 16 due to the increase in new cases as well as in its critical care utilization against critical care capacity.

On Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that Cebu City will remain under ECQ,

“Ang loosening up ng restriction, dapat may nakaakibat na requirements,” Rye told GMA News Online.

Rye’s OCTA Research team projected more than 60,000 COVID-19 cases in the country by July 31.

In the June 29 forecast report of OCTA Research, they tagged NCR as one of the four high risk areas for COVID-19 in the country together with Cebu, Leyte, and Rizal. —LDF, GMA News