Iloilo City to appeal to IATF to downgrade MECQ status to GCQ

Iloilo City will formally make an appeal this weekend to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to downgrade the city's status from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to general community quarantine (GCQ).

The Iloilo local government unit said it will request that the city be placed under GCQ starting Monday, Sept. 28.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said he will send the letter of request to the IATF this weekend, after having discussed the matter with IATF chair Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Interior Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III.

The LGU also had a meeting with the City COVID team and the business community wherein it was noted there were no new cases in several barangays placed under lockdown.

"Compliance officers will be deployed to affected barangays. A Quick Response Team will be on lookout to trace, test, isolate and decontaminate areas with Covid-19 cases," Treñas said.

The IATF previously placed Iloilo City under MECQ from September 25 to October 9, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Thursday.

Treñas on Friday said carelessness among his constituents could be blamed for the spike of COVID-19 cases in the city, prompting the national government to place it under MECQ.

LSIs

The mayor also said Iloilo City will continue to accept inbound passengers as long as they have negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swab test result done within three days prior to arrival.

"We can accept flights of returning residents as long as their RT-PCR tests have been taken within 72 hours. Personnel will be assigned at the airport and seaport to check on their documents," he said.

"We will then inform their barangays to monitor them. They can go home directly as no more quarantine in facility shall be required," Treñas added.

Government workers will also have weekly random RT-PCR testing to screen for COVID-19, the mayor said.

"We also suggest to do the same for fish port, and those with many employees such as BPOs, malls, supermarkets, banks, and all other businesses," he said.

Treñas said areas with increasing number of COVID-19 cases will be put under lockdown and given relief goods.

At least 10 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday in Iloilo City, data from the local government showed.

—KG, GMA News