This Week in Metro Manila (May 30 to June 5, 2020)

In an address last May 28, President Rodrigo Duterte placed Metro Manila under GCQ [1]. Under this new quarantine level, public transportation will resume operations at a limited capacity. Health protocols, like wearing of masks and physical distancing, will also be observed. Despite the downgrade in quarantine status, movement will still remain limited; only people accessing essential goods and services and those going to work in industries allowed to operate will be allowed to go out. Meanwhile, senior citizens, residents under 21 years old, pregnant women, and people with immunodeficiency, comorbidities, or other health risks are still required to stay home at all times.

Along with the National Capital Region, the following areas are also placed under GCQ: Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Pangasinan, Zamboanga City, and Davao City will be under the GCQ. Meanwhile, the rest of the country will shift to Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).

The Pasay City local government released a new memorandum that approved the extension of the extreme community quarantine in Barangay 183 [2]. Barangay 183 has reported 26 confirmed cases, making it the top area among 201 barangays with the most number of cases. Under the EXCQ, only households without PUIs and PUMs will be allowed to go out of the quarantine. Moreover, these persons can only go out for the purchase of essential goods and they should have quarantine passes. The EXCQ will remain in effect until June 7 unless extended by the City Health Office.

Two more areas in Quezon City—Certeza Compound in Barangay Culiat and Alley 2 Homart Road in Barangay Baesa—have been placed under special concern lockdown (SCL) by the city government. This comes along with the extension of the SCL in the 11 sites initially identified.

Certeza Compound currently has one confirmed case but has a dense population—which is a criteria for SCL areas recommended by the QC Health Department (QCHD) [3]. In order to check the level of infection, around 200 individuals will undergo rapid testing while 450 households will also be subjected to random rapid testing by the QCHD in the lockdown area.

Meanwhile, there would also be a 14-day lockdown extension in 11 locations placed under SCL as rapid testings continue in the area. The areas under the SCL are:

• Sitio Militar in Barangay Bahay Toro

• Vargas Compound-Adelfa Metro Heights-Abanay in Barangay Culiat

• Ancop Canada in Barangay Culiat

• Lower Gulod in Barangay Sauyo

• 318 Dakila St., 2nd Alley Kalayaan B

• Masbate St. in Barangay Batasan Hills

• Victory Avenue

• ROTC Hunters

• BMA Avenue

• Agno St. in Barangay Tatalon

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte asks residents to cooperate with the government in stopping the spread of COVID-19. The city is one of the areas in Manila with the most cases of the coronavirus.

The Mandaluyong City Public Information Office advised residents to acquire travel passes. Travel passes are required in areas under ECQ to give authorization to workers to go out of their residences for work, and vice versa. Those who got stranded when the ECQ was implemented can also return home with the use of the travel pass.

The steps in getting one are outlined in the office’s official Facebook page [4]. Those who have questions can call 8533-2225 or send an email to travelpass@mandaluyong.gov.ph. The application form can also be downloaded online via the following link: bit.ly/3V9ddXa

To promote cashless transactions in high-contact areas such as toll plazas, the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) has made the Easytrip RFID stickers available online. The RFIDs can be ordered and delivered through Shopee or Lazada for PhP500. The package comes with installation and user guides. The RFID can be used along North Luzon Expressway, NLEX Harbor Link, C5 South Link, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, the Cavite-Manila Expressway, and the Cavite-Laguna Expressway [5].

Taguig City signed a new ordinance that requires residents to wear face masks in public. Under Ordinance No. 12, it is now mandatory to wear face masks in public places in the city for any purpose. Besides mandatory face masks, the local government also asks the public to follow social distancing as NCR continues to adjust to the “new normal.” Taguig previously allowed outdoor exercises among residents provided that they wear face masks in public and follow physical distancing [6].

A new study conducted by infectious disease experts in Singapore found that COVID-19 patients can no longer spread the disease after 11 days of getting sick. According to the study, patients can be safely discharged after 11 days of getting sick since they are not found to be infectious. In addition, the research also found that the virus could also not be isolated or cultured after the said period. The accumulated data since the start of the pandemic found that symptomatic individuals have their infectious period during the second day of the onset of symptoms. The period may persist for seven to ten days [7].

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Metro Manila.