Gov’t allows cinemas, museums to reopen in areas under GCQ
MANILA, Philippines — Residents living under general community quarantine will soon be allowed to see the big screen again as the government has allowed cinemas to reopen in those areas, subject to guidelines by the Department of Health and local government units.
Malacañang announced Friday that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, which leads the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, has allowed the reopening of cinemas and other select establishments in areas under GCQ.
Other establishments which can operate again in areas under GCQ are driving schools, video and interactive game arcades, libraries, archives, museums, cultural centers, meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions, and limited social events of establishments accredited by the Department of Tourism.
“Our economy needs to open further as our countrymen need to find additional livelihood,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in Filipino during the Laging Handa briefing aired on state-run People’s Television.
Metro Manila, Cordillera Administrative Region, Batangas, Tacloban City, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Iligan City are all under GCQ, while the rest of the country is under the less restrictive modified GCQ, where cinemas have been open at up to 50% capacity since October 2020.
The government decided to ease restrictions amid the lingering threat of new coronavirus variants, some of which, including the B.1.1.7 variant which has already been detected in the country, are feared to be more infectious.
Other variants of concern have not been detected in the country, the Department of Health said.
The Philippines has the second-worst coronavirus outbreak in Southeast Asia following Indonesia, with over 540,000 cases and over 11,000 deaths.
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