Quarantine classifications and interventions

(Part of an ongoing account started on March 13, 2020 of how the spread of COVID-19 in our country and our government’s response has affected our lives.)

Everyone in the Philippines is under quarantine, whether it is Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), Modified ECQ, General Community Quarantine (GCQ) or Modified GCQ.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases took back its announcement on Tuesday that areas deemed as low-risk will no longer be placed under any form of community quarantine starting May 16.

This, after the local government officials of these low-risk areas expressed fears of a surge in COVID-19 cases, should all restrictions be relaxed.

So that’s it. Effective May 16, Metro Manila, the Province of Laguna and Cebu City will be placed under Modified ECQ.

Eight regions will be under general community quarantine (GCQ) while the rest will be under Modified GCQ.

The concept of zones has also been introduced, which basically gives a local government unit chief options in terms of controlling the rate of infection by enforcing a quarantine status according to the level of risk in the area.

Thus, in Cebu City, for example, Barangay Luz is under ECQ because of the high number of COVID-infected cases. This makes it the critical zone. The barangays outside Luz form part of the Containment Zone (CZ), which would qualify them for Modified ECQ.

A larger radius around the CZ would be the Buffer Zone (BZ) where GCQ could be imposed and beyond that, the Outside Buffer Zone (OBZ), where the modified GCQ would apply.

The idea behind having area classifications and the corresponding interventions is really to relax the quarantine protocols in phases so that the country does not go the way of those that lifted the restrictions too soon and experienced a spike in infected cases.

A lot of LGU officials apparently agree. This early, the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu have already asked the IATF that they remain under ECQ.

Slowly but steadily, we shall recover.

DoH update: As of 4 p.m. of May 13, 2020, the Philippines has reported 11,618 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 2,251 recoveries and 772 deaths.