BACOLOD City – The local government unit here is fine-tuning its game plan after May 15 when the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the entire metro ends.
According to Mayor Evelio Leonardia, he will present to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) a proposal about a shift to a transition period of general community quarantine (GCQ) after the second ECQ extension.
The final decision now rests with the IATF, the mayor said.
“Any highly-urbanized city or provincial governments can no longer make its own decision to place their respective areas either on ECQ or GCQ without the approval of the IATF because this is the present guidelines of the national government,” he added.
But Leonardia stressed that “there should be a gradual transition as coronavirus disease virus is undeniably deadly and unprecedented in its harm to public health such that its local transmission is still grave and present threat that cannot be underestimated.”
Once the IATF approve the proposal that will be submitted within this week, Leonardia said he will issue an executive order containing the guidelines for the transition.
To date, Bacolod has 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with six recoveries and three deaths.
Meanwhile, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has already sent his proposal to the IATF for the extension of the GCQ in Negros Occidental./PN
