Governor Art Yap on Friday announced the possibility of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in Bohol to be downgraded into a more relaxed modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) starting next week.
Yap, in his Independence Day address delivered at the Capitol, said that it would be up to the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to whether or not allow the province to shift to the less stringent quarantine level.
According to Yap, Bohol could either remain under GCQ or shift to MGCQ starting June 16 until June 30 depending on the decision of the IATF.
“Duha ang pwede mahitabo—posibli na ipabilin ta ubos sa general community quarantine o posibli pud na e-downgrade na ta ngadto sa modified community quarantine.
“Kung unsa man ang ilang decision, mo pagawas ra ta og mga direktiba bahin niana,” he said.
However, the governor clarified that several of the main quarantine protocols implemented under GCQ will remain in place even if the province is placed under MGCQ.
The 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. general curfew and the mandatory use of the home quarantine pass will remain in effect as decided by all of the province’s mayors.
Yap said that the partial liquor ban will also still be imposed.
“Ato ning gibuhat para ma-control ang posibling pagkuyanap sa maong sakit dinhi sa atong lalawagin,” he said.
Executive Order (EO) No. 17 which was signed by Yap in late March prohibits individuals from going outside of their residence to drink alcoholic beverages in a bid to prevent social gatherings in public spaces or in homes.
Residents however may consume alcoholic drinks provided that they do it in their own homes alone or with household members only.
Under MGCQ, churches will be allowed to reopen and hold masses but only fill its seating capacity by 50 percent.
Last month, Bohol was already geared for the downgrade of its quarantine level to MGCQ with Yap even announcing the imminent shift and releasing new guidelines.
However, the move was abruptly cancelled when the IATF decided to place the entire Central Visayas under GCQ for the first 15 days of June.