Metro Manila back to GCQ

MANILA, Philippines – Metro Manila and four hotspot provinces are back to general community quarantine (GCQ), President Rodrigo Roa Duterte announced on Monday, August 17.

Metro Manila back to GCQ
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte talks to the people after holding a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members. PCOO

Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) putting the capital region and the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan to less stringent GCQ after the 2-week modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

The new quarantine classification will take effect on Wednesday, August 19 and will lapse on August 31.

LIVESTREAM: Duterte addresses the nation August 17 on MECQ fate

Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque, Jr. earlier said that the President’s decision on the community quarantine classification is based on the case doubling rate and the critical care capacity, taking also into consideration the clustering of cases in Metro Manila.

The President on August 3 heeded call of the medical community to arrest the continuous rise in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections. This is to prevent the collapse of the health care system and for the government to craft a more effective response against the pandemic.

Before imposing MECQ, Metro Manila has been in GCQ since June 1 as the government gradually reopens the economy to prop up economic activity in the midst of the pandemic.

The IATF on Friday, August 14, placed Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Quezon, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Lapu Lapu City, Mandaue City, Talisay City, the municipalities of Minglanilla and Consolacion in Cebu province under GCQ from August 16 to 31.

The rest of the country are placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ), with some provinces, highly urbanize cities and independent component cities with strict enforcement of local action.

As of August 17, the nationwide COVID-19 total reached 164,474 with 3,314 new confirmed cases. Most of the cases were logged in NCR, Laguna and Cavite provinces, 1,918, 274, and 219, respectively.

— The Summit Express



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