Pinoy Trending: ECQ vs GCQ

Under GCQ, there will be relaxed quarantine measures starting May 1. Public transportation will be allowed but in reduced capacity. There will be 50 percent to 100 percent reopening of select establishments subject to minimum health standards. If there is no further deterioration, GCQ will be relaxed.

Here are the differences between enhanced community quarantine and general community quarantine. This decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is based on the risk of outbreak of COVID-19 in various provinces.

Those GCQ areas shall observe the following:

- Select workers will be allowed to go out and work in phases
- Those aged below 21 and above 60, and high health risk individuals shall continue to stay at home
- Partial opening of non-leisure shops and malls
- Mandatory temperature check
- Mandatory wearing of masks,
- Mandatory use of alcohol
- Resumption of classes in higher education institutions
- Resumption of priority and essential construction projects
- Resumption of public transportation at a reduced capacity
- Curfew for non-workers
- Continued unhampered movement of goods.

Roque said the task force ruled that all other low-risk and moderate-risk areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will be under general community quarantine (GCQ) “provided that as a condition, minimum health standards are achieved and continuously observed.” He said the GCQ in low-risk areas may be lifted after May 15 “should no deterioration in their risk level occur.” Under the ECQ, Roque said there will be stringent quarantine measures in covered areas until May 15. Public transportation remain suspended while only essential businesses and services are allowed to operate.

Capiz, Aklan, Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro are among the areas removed from the list of ECQ areas based on the latest resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

Under the revised government list, the areas under ECQ until mid-May are the following:

1. National Capital Region

2. Region III (Central Luzon) except Aurora province

3. Region IV-A (CALABARZON)

4. Pangasinan

5. Benguet

6. Baguio City

7. Iloilo

8. Cebu

9. Cebu City

10. Davao City

Sources: PCOO, Manila Bulletin

Pinoy Health: Extended ECQ for High Risk Areas in Visayas

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced last April 24, 2020 that the national government will be adopting IATF-EID to extend ECQ at high risk areas until May 15, 2020.

"High-risk areas will be under ECQ until May 15, subject for further evaluation". High-risk areas in the Visayas are the following; Antique, Aklan, Iloilo, Capiz, Cebu City and the entire Cebu Province.

Provinces not included in the list can downgrade to general community quarantine, dubbed as "the new normal", subject for review.

Negros Oriental has four and Bohol has one but recently don't have active cases being monitored. While Siquijor is the only province in Central Visayas that remains free from any confirmed COVID-19 cases.

While the current status for each Provinces are presented below as per available data. | BP

Pinoy Trending: GenSan LGU Gives Live Pigs

The Local Government Unit of General Santos started its distribution of live sow to the different barangays last April 24, 2020. Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera said that the LGU will finish the delivery and distribution of 1,000 pigs to all barangays in the city by next week. This is aside from the relief goods that was distributed for the on-going Enhanced Community Quarantine. The estimated weight of the pigs are about 200 kilos. 

The barangay will be the one's who will butcher the pigs and distribute the meat to each households, for non-pork eaters the city will give fish and chicken. The LGU bought the pigs from the Local Swine Producers as support for the current pandemic that is affecting the industry.

 Meanwhile the General Santos City remains COVID-Free as patient PH3669 turns out negative. Like any other cities, the LGU has been strict in their border control and quarantine control to protect its constituents from the corona virus disease. | BP

Source: LGU Gensan

Pinoy Health: Carcar City Records First COVID-19 Case

Today, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia confirmed the first COVID-19 case in Carcar City in addition to Cebu Province that has now, four (4) positive cases.

According to the governor, the patient was a 17-year-old boy from Barangay Guadalupe, Carcar City. He was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2018.

He was brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center last April 23, 2020 but later on died. And the final diagnosis or cause of death is pulmonary congestion secondary to acute renal failure leading to nephratic syndrome Covid positive.

Moreover the Governor urged municipal and city health officers to be more aggressive in reporting on influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infection cases in their localities. | BP

Source: Sugbo News | Governor Gwendolyn Garcia

Pinoy Health: Happy Jail - CPDRC Lockdown

The Capitol-run facility in barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City; the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) was placed under lockdown to keep the disease entering from its walls. The Jail facility also known-to-be as Happy Jail as it is where the famous dancing inmates performs. 

"We practically put the CPDRC on lockdown. But inside ok ra sila basta wala lang carrier. Maayo ra ilang kabutang didto. They have good food," Garcia said.

CPDRC is still COVID-Free but the adjacent facility across the road; the Cebu City Jail, in rising number of positive cases. Cebu City Jail has now 208 positive cases contributing to a total of 451 confirmed cases in the City, and 498 total cases in the Central Visayas. It continues to be a threat to almost 1,700 inmates in the provincial jail facility.

"Right now, I am thinking about how to protect the CPDRC, seeing as the BJMP Cebu City is just right across the street and the numbers are shooting up the roof of positive cases," she said.

As part of the Governor's proactive measures is for the prison guards and office personnel of CPDRC to put into an in-house facility within the jail, this is to prevent contamination aside from the regular disinfection of the cells.

Cebu as a whole, is part of the list of the high-risk areas wherein COVID cases are still evident. However, Cebu City and the Province of Cebu are putting all-out efforts to contain the virus and stop its transmission. And the Enhanced Community Quarantine was extended for these particular reasons.

-bpp

Know COVID-19 and Get Protected.
If you are sick and think you have symptoms of COVID-19, seek medical attention, call the local Coronavirus Health Information Line for advice: 0922-397-2334 / 0943-568-3298 / (032) 402-3091 / (032) 402-1269. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Information indicated in this post are accurate from the time of writing but may change without prior notice.