Mayor Jerry Treñas has appealed to the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) to lower the community quarantine status of Iloilo City from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to general community quarantine (GCQ).
The request to downgrade the city’s quarantine classification aims to “help various establishments and Ilonggos to recover from the pandemic,” Treñas said on Tuesday, June 29.
In his letter addressed to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, NTF head, the mayor noted that the city posted a downward trend in its daily rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks.
“Our Average Daily Attack Rate per 100,000 population reflects a promising decrease to 18.57 percent from June 14 to June 27, 2021. As based on the Community Quarantine Decision Framework, our two-week growth rate is classified as moderate,” Treñas said.
“With tight surveillance, stringent implementation of health protocols, massive RT-PCR testing, swift isolation of close contacts with concomitant disinfection, COVID-19 infection in Iloilo City manageable. Thus, it is reasonable to consider placing the city in a lower quarantine classification to GCQ,” he further said.
Based on the June 29 case bulletin issued by the Department of Health (DOH-6), the city has 2,395 active COVID-19 cases, the second highest in Western Visayas after Iloilo province (2,449).
Treñas also cited other factors that the NTF should consider in downgrading the city’s quarantine status. These include the city government’s aggressive COVID-19 vaccine inoculation, capacity utilization rate, effective protocols, and active COVID-19 Team.
On Monday night, June 28, President Duterte announced the extension of the city’s MECQ status for another 15 days.IMT
