The local government of Quezon City is planning to implement a “transition period” to lower down from Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) which is a less strict implementation in the city after the May 15, 2020.

According to the local government, the economy of the city is adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic so in order to make a balance between health and economy the local government is proposing to downgrade to GCQ.

“While the health of our residents remains our primary priority, we also need to look after the local economy, which has been affected severely by the dreaded virus,” Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement on Friday.

Belmonte noted that there is a deliberation to the said proposal of downgrading to GCQ during a meeting of Metro Manila mayors on Saturday.

When the GCQ is to be agreed by the local government, the transition period to GCQ is till impose regulations like the “new normal” protocols to be observed by businesses.

“Necessary preventive measures should be in place and the health and safety of workers and customers must be guaranteed before we allow them to operate again,” Belmonte said.

According to the Assistant City Administrator for Operation, Alberto Kimpo, the businesses must observe strict compliance by implementing constant checking of the health conditions of all employees and regular testing and if necessary, employees who are found suspicious should undergo quarantine. Businesses are also required to have thermal scanning and observe social distancing and disinfection in the working place.

The Quezon City government will also set regulation to implement businesses to schedule a one-day shutdown in order to disinfect and sanitize every working places.

Earlier, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) said the downgrading to the level of GCQ will allow more businesses to operate aside from those offering essential services. This includes malls, commercial centers, barbershops, salons, spas, wholesale and retail trade, repair shops for motor vehicles, among others.

As of posting, the Quezon City Health Department documented 1,156 cases of COVID-19 including 337 recoveries and 134 fatalities.