Provincial buses still not allowed in Metro Manila under 'hybrid' GCQ —mayor

Metro Manila mayors have yet to decide if provincial buses should be allowed to resume operations in the National Capital Region even under the "hybrid" general community quarantine (GCQ) they are proposing to the national government.

Interviewed on Unang Balita on Wednesday, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said allowing provincial buses to resume operations in Metro Manila is still being looked into.

"Isa rin po iyan sa tinitignan natin pero 'yan po ay pinag-aaralan pa ng ating IATF," he said.

Olivarez, who chairs the Metro Manila Mayors Council (MMMC), was referring to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the government's policy-making body in the fight against COVID-19.

Olivarez said the MMMC has recommended to the IATF to extend the GCQ in the National Capital Region from July 16 to the end of the month but in a "hybrid" form.

"Ang ating napag-usapan dun, kasama yung ibang members ng IATF, na magkakaroon po ng amendments doon po sa guidelines ng GCQ, na ito ay tinatawag na hybrid quarantine," he said.

Olivarez explained that under their recommendation, there will be a more "relaxed" guidelines to give way to the reopening of the economy without sacrificing health protocols.

Particularly, he said they recommended that restaurants be allowed to operate at up to 50% seating capacity for dine-in customers.

Religious gatherings, however, will remain at 10% of the venue's total capacity. --KBK, GMA News