MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 31 (PIA) -The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) starting June 1 until June 15, 2020, pursuant to the newly released Resolution No. 41 of the National Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19).

Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMM spokesperson, said in a radio interview that the decision is the direction of the national government for most regions in the Philippines that are not heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In view of the transition to MGCQ, BARMM's Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim reminded the public to observe the minimum health standards.

"While the quarantine protocols will be relaxed, we still have to be cautious and not let our guards down. Let us protect our communities the way we would protect ourselves and families. The health standards we have now, such as frequent hand washing, maintaining physical distance, and the wearing of face masks are for everyone's safety therefore let us continue observing it", he said.

Bangsamoro Cabinet Secretary and BIATF spokesperson Mohd Asnin Pendatun also reiterated the reminder of the Chief Minister.

"This is not to say that the Covid-19 threat has lessened. That's not it. In fact, as the recent confirmed cases would suggest, it is still there, it is strong, and we should vigilantly follow all the guidelines," Pendatun said.

Under the MGCQ, Pendatun said residents of the region of all ages are permitted to leave their houses, given they practice minimum health standards.

Pendatun advised the public to limit movement to essential travels or transactions while under MGCQ.

"We would like to remind everyone that our battle against Covid-19 is not yet over. We still have a long way to go and we strongly suggest you follow the public health guidelines and the minimum public health standards that we repeatedly remind," he added.

It can be recalled that general community quarantine strictly disallows ages 20 below and 60 up to go out, especially the immunocompromised, comorbid, and citizens with other health risks.

Furthermore, social and religious gatherings such as movie screenings and non-essential work activities are now allowed in MGCQ, but "the participants shall be limited to fifty percent (50%) of the venue seating capacity."

The BARMM's Regional Darul Ifta' has yet to make any official announcements on the approval of Islamic religious gatherings as of posting time.

Sea, air, and land transportation will also be allowed under the MGCQ with limitations in seating capacity and observation of minimum health standards. Some airline companies gave notice with regard to the resumption of flights in the region.

According to Sinarimbo, the BARMM's Ministry of Health(MOH), Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE), and the Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG), have agreed to deploy a team that will check each arriving passengers, while necessary documentation must be presented for the Overseas Filipino Workers.

The said agreement is in order to have proper coordination with the respective local chief executives. (BPI/PIA ICIC)