Samsam to follow IATF decision placing entire Cebu under GCQ

Talisay City mayor Samsam Gullas said he will abide by the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to place all of Cebu province under general community quarantine (GCQ).

“As I said in my video a couple of days ago, we have to move on. Even with Covid around us, people want even just a little sense of normalcy back,” said Gullas in his Facebook post on Sunday.

Cebu province, except for Talisay and Mandaue, has been under GCQ since May 20. Gullas had earlier appealed for and was granted permission to keep his city under modified ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) following the rise of Covid-19 cases. Mandaue also remained under extended ECQ for a similar reason. 

Gullas said though the coronavirus lingers, the economy must be revived after two months of lockdown. 

“I believe the national government was already concerned about our economy and they decided on a direction to revive it. I believe this is why the national government and the IATF is preparing us for a new normal,” he said.

Gullas said health protocols will still be observed under GCQ. High-risk areas or those with cases of covid will be tagged as red zones and localized ECQ will be in place. Gullas said this will allow the rest of the city to go about their normal lives while those with infection will be allowed to heal.

As of May 30, the city has 48 cases, which the mayor believes will increase in the coming days as swab test results have yet to be released.

Gullas asked the public to continue wearing their masks and observe social distancing.

All border restrictions in the province will be lifted on June 3 to allow stranded residents to go home.