The government downgraded the community quarantine classification in Laguna, Iloilo City and Cagayan de Oro City.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo R. Duterte approved the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) resolution last Thursday to relax the classification of the said areas from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to modified ECQ (MECQ).
Roque said the classification will take effect from Aug. 16 until Aug. 31, 2021.
The three areas were placed under lockdown after registering an alarming spike in novel coronavirus disease cases.
Other areas, which will remain under MECQ until the end of the month are Apayao; Ilocos Norte; Bulacan; Cavite, Lucena City, and Rizal in Region 4-A for Luzon; and Aklan, and Iloilo Province in Region 6, and Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Cebu City in Region 7 for the Visayas.
Other classifications
The National Capital Region (NCR) remains under ECQ until Aug. 20, 2021, according to Roque.
Bataan will also be under the strictest quarantine classification. but until Aug. 22, 2021.
Meanwhile, the IATF decided to place the following areas under GCQ with heightened restrictions until Aug. 31, 2021: Ilocos Sur; Cagayan; Quezon and Batangas in Region 4-A and Naga City for Luzon; Antique, Bacolod City and Capiz in Region 6; and Negros Oriental and Cebu for the Visayas; Zamboanga del Sur; Misamis Oriental; Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental and Davao de Oro in Region 11 and Butuan City for Mindanao.
Tarlac shall be placed under GCQ beginning Aug. 13 until Aug. 31, 2021.
Also placed under GCQ from August 16 to August 31, 2021 are Baguio City in the Cordillera Administrative Region; Santiago City, Quirino, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya in Region 2; Puerto Princesa for Luzon; Guimaras and Negros Occidental in Region 6; Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City and Zamboanga del Norte in Region 9; Davao Oriental and Davao del Sur in Region 11; General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and South Cotabato in Region 12; Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands in CARAGA and Cotabato City in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“All other areas shall be placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) classification from Aug. 16 to 31, 2021,” Roque said.
COC filing
Roque said the IATF also allowed persons over the age of 65 to leaver their residences to file their certificates of candidacy (COC) in the national office and designated field offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“The abovementioned persons shall be recognized as Authorized Persons Outside of Residence from Oct. 1 to 8, 2021, regardless of community quarantine classification and vaccination status,” Roque said.