Two Cordillera local government units were among the three declared under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions for a week starting Friday until the end of the month.
With Covid-19 infections in an all-time high, Baguio quarantine status was elevated along with Abra, which has experienced its worst surge this month, the Inter-Agency Task Force announced.
They thus joined Bohol, which was earlier under Modified GCQ.
Baguio has already logged 5,027 confirmed cases this month, beating the previous high of 3,046 during the April surge. Infection rate the past week is about 250 cases. Deaths due to Covid-19 went beyond the century mark of 106, again beating the 82 recorded last April.
Active cases in Baguio is now 3,740, nearly triple the April high of 1,460 and further straining the cityโs resources especially bed capacity of its isolation facilities which is only about 960 that mayor Benjamin Magalong asked residents to have their own isolation facility in their homes.
He also asked the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio for help, to donate beds and beddings to be used in the cityโs isolation facilities at the Baguio Teachers Camp and at the Baguio Central University โ Sto. Nino Hospital.
Abra, on the hand, has a bad September after logging 1,072 cases or an average of more than 46 cases for this month alone and the total accounting to about nearly 40 percent of its 2,935 total confirmed cases.
Under such quarantine status, the three LGUs will have indoor dine-in services may operate at 20 percent, venue or seating capacity while al-fresco or outdoor dine-in services at 50 percent venue or seating capacity.
Beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops, and nail spas may operate up to 30 percent venue or seating capacity.
Outdoor tourist attractions, on the other hand, shall be allowed at 30 percent venue capacity with strict adherence to minimum public health standards.
Business establishments with Safety Seal Certifications shall be allowed to operate at an additional 10 percent, points beyond the prescribed on-site capacity or venue/seating capacity, whichever is applicable.
With the new quarantine status, meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions events and social events in venue establishments shall not be allowed in said localities.
Also not allowed to operate are indoor sports courts and venues and indoor tourist attractions.
In the case of specialized markets of the Department of Tourism (DOT), such as staycations without age restrictions, they shall be allowed at such capacities, protocols and restrictions, as may be imposed by the DOT.
Meanwhile, religious gatherings shall be allowed but a maximum of only 10 percent of the venue capacity. The local government unit (LGU) may increase this allowable venue capacity to 30 percent.
Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals for those who died of causes other than Covid-19 and for the cremains of the Covid-19 deceased shall be allowed but now limited to immediate family members.
Inter-zonal travel shall be allowed subject to restrictions of the local government unit of destination. Point-to-point travel to areas under GCQ and MGCQ shall be allowed without age restrictions subject to an RT-PCR test-before-travel requirement for those below 18 years old and above 65, and other protocols and restrictions as may be imposed by the DOT and the LGU of destination.
