Despite its rising cases of novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Metro Manila will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions until next month.
On Wednesday, President Rodrigo R. Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to extend the existing community quarantine classification of the said region until August 15, 2021.
The business sector and the mayors of the cities and municipalities in the National Capital Region (NCR) are backing the implementation of the hard lockdown, provided the national government “has available funds for the Social Amelioration Program (SAP)” in the affected areas.
This after the growth rate of Covid-19 cases in NCR in the past two weeks rose to 19 percent prompting health experts to recommend the implementation of stricter community quarantine classification in the region.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the IATF decided to retain the classification of NCR on the condition that the period between the detection and isolation of infected patients be reduced to less than five days; enforcement of facility isolation and quarantine; healthcare capacity expansion; fast-tracking of the vaccination of senior citizens and those with comorbidities; and stricter border control in ports of entry.
“The IATF will not hesitate to intensify quarantine restrictions if there will be a surge in Covid-19 cases [in the region],” Roque said.
Other classifications
Aside from NCR, Duterte said, other areas to be placed under GCQ with heightened restrictions from August 1 to August 15, 2021, are Ilocos Sur in Region 1; Cagayan in Region 2; Bulacan in Region 3; Laguna, Lucena City, Cavite, and Rizal in Region 4-A; Naga City in Region 5; Antique, Aklan, Bacolod City, and Capiz in Region 6; Negros Oriental in Region 7; Zamboanga del Sur in Region 9; Misamis Oriental in Region 10; Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, and Davao Occidental in Region 11; and Butuan City in CARAGA.
Meanwhile, areas to be placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), which is the strictest community classification, will include Iloilo City and Iloilo Province in Region 6 and Cagayan de Oro City and Gingoog City in Region 10 starting August 1 until August 7, 2021.
Duterte also approved placing the following areas under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) classification: Ilocos Norte in Region 1; Bataan in Region 3; and Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City in Region 7 from August 1 until August 15, 2021.
Areas, which have manageable cases of infection, were placed under GCQ for the entire month of August.
These include Baguio City and Apayao in the Cordillera Administrative Region; City of Santiago, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino in Region 2; Quezon and Batangas in Region 4-A; Puerto Princesa in Region 4-B; Guimaras and Negros Occidental in Region 6; Zamboanga Sibugay, City of Zamboanga 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, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Sur in CARAGA and Cotabato City in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Areas not mentioned in the previous classifications will be placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) classification from August 1 to August 31, 2021.
“The abovementioned classifications are subject to the appeals of the local government units (LGUs),” Roque said.
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