Concerns raised by affected local government units (LGU) caused the postponement of the implementation of a new general community quarantine (GCQ) with the new Alert Level System (ALS) in the National Capital Region (NCR).
National Task Force Against Covid-19 spokesman Restituto Padilla Jr. disclosed some of the issues pointed out by some Metro Manila mayors were still not addressed in the draft guidelines for the implementation of the new scheme.
This prompted the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to reset the start of the implementation of the GCQ and ALS from September 8, 2021 to September 15, 2021.
“The rollout of the pilot of the quarantine will be slightly delayed until the guidelines are disseminated completely,” Padilla said in a television interview on Wednesday.
The abrupt policy decision drew criticisms, particularly from the business sector, since it left them and their workers unprepared for the prolonged modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in NCR.
Padilla sought for the understanding of the affected businesses for the delay, which he said, may only last for a few days in exchange for detailed guidelines for the GCQ and ALS.
“Once the comprehensive guidelines come out, it will be easily understood by many people as well as those who will implement it,” Padilla said.
Furthermore, he said the extended strict quarantine restriction would give more time for health-care facilities in NCR to cope with the surge in Covid-19 cases in the region.
Members of the IATF are pushing for the implementation of the GCQ with ALS in NCR, wherein the lockdowns will be granular instead of region wide since it is expected to minimize the spread of infections without disrupting the operations of most businesses.