‘Lockdown’ in Iloilo City, province extended

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

The National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (NIATFMEID) recommended the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to May 15, 2020.

Mayor Jerry Treñas said in a radio interview Tuesday evening that Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that Iloilo City is among the areas where the ECQ will be prolonged.

Treñas said he personally coordinated with Roque to get the exact status of the city.

The mayor said is still waiting for specific guidelines from the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (NIATFMEID) on the extended ECQ.

Before talking to Roque, Iloilo City was not included in the updated list of areas that will remain under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until May 15, 2020.

Based on the latest recommendation of the NIATFMEID, only Iloilo province in Western Visayas will be placed under the extended ECQ.

But Iloilo province meant both city and province.

“Gahulat kami sa guidelines. I-assess naton ang situation. Lantawon naton kon ano ang indications naton basi may mga Ilonggos pa nga magbalik sa Iloilo halin sa iban nga lugar. We will wait for the rules of the IATF and we will follow it,” Treñas said in another radio interview Tuesday morning.

The ECQ was imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Meanwhile, the recommendation of the NIATFMEID awaits the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a press conference on Tuesday, the Regional IATFMEID in Western Visayas said it is also awaiting the final guidelines of the national task force on the lifting of the ECQ and the transition to the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) in other parts of Western Visayas.

The provinces of Antique, Aklan, Capiz, and Negros Occidental and Bacolod City were in the GCQ list.

“We are still waiting for the guidelines of the national IATF as to their final decision. We will disseminate it to the local government units (LGUs) once ara na,” Jose Roberto Nuñez chairman of the RIATF 6 and regional director of the Office of the Civil Defense 6 said.

Under the GCQ, local governments can relax certain quarantine measures.

Public transport will be allowed but with reduced capacity; select establishments will be allowed to reopen but subject to minimum health standards such as physical distancing and wearing of masks.

Treñas said the extension will give the city more time to prepare and implement its exit plan once it transitions from ECQ to GCQ.

Based on the exit plan of Iloilo City formulated by academic experts, the strategies in the gradual easing of ECQ restrictions in the city will include social (physical distancing); provision of sanitizers for customers; disinfecting measures of the establishments; use of non-contact scanners; accomplishment of daily health checklist; wearing of face masks in public; imposition of curfew; inspection of compliance of establishments; and presentation of quarantine pass.

Under the exit plan, food and hospital, healthcare, and manufacturing industries will reopen provided that proper social distancing and other guidelines will be imposed.

Only 50 percent of the transportation sector will be allowed to operate and they will have to follow proper guidelines on disinfection.

The reopening has also been classified into three phases.

Phase 1 pertains to low confidence that COVID-19 is contained. Under this phase, the construction and service industries will open but at 50 percent capacity and proper guidelines should be observed.

Phase 2 is when there is medium confidence that COVID-19 is contained while Phase 3 pertains to high-confidence that the disease has been curbed.

Personal services such as indoor and outdoor fitness hubs, personal beauty services, and health and wellness facilities; including the entertainment industry, and school can only open in Phase 3.