Cebu City’s lockdown “final” – Palace

June 17, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte's decision placing Cebu City under the enhanced community quarantine until the end of the month is final, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

This was after the Cebu City local government wanted to appeal its quarantine classification before the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

"They were given time to appeal...so I'm wondering why it's only now that they're saying that they'll appeal considering that the period of appeal had lapsed?" Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a radio interview.

He noted that as early as last week, the Department of Interior and Local Government had informed the local government units of their quarantine classifications so that they would still have time to appeal.

Roque said if there would be any change in the classification, it would happen after June 30.

In the case of Cebu City, he reiterated that the COVID-19 case doubling rate was at 6.6 and the critical care resources were at "dangerous level".

Roque advised Cebu City to just accept the "bitter solution" because until such time that there is no vaccine for coronavirus, the only solution is to be "homeliners" and to keep healthy.

Cebu City is the only place in the country which reverted to lockdown starting June 16 until June 30.

Under ECQ, most establishments in the area are not allowed to operate as there are restrictions in the movement of the residents. Celerina Monte/DMS