Metro Manila, neighboring areas stay under GCQ
MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila and neighboring areas will remain under less restrictive general community quarantine starting September 1, President Rodrigo Duterte announced late Monday.
The president also approved the recommendation of the government's inter-agency task force to place Iligan City in Northern Mindanao under modified enhanced community quarantine.
Iligan City has 262 COVID-19 cases, of which 143 were active infections, according to data from the Department of Health as of August 30.
The capital region accounted for more than half of the country’s coronavirus cases.
Other areas that are also under GCQ are the following:
- Bulacan
- Batangas
- Tacloban City
- Bacolod City
Metro Manila and neighboring areas have been under GCQ since June, save from August 4 to 18 when medical workers pleaded for a two-week “time-out” to recalibrate the government’s COVID-19 response.
Areas under GCQ scenario are allowed to reopen most enterprises. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Monday that gyms, testing centers and grooming services would be allowed to go back to business starting Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the rest of the country is under modified GCQ—the most relaxed form of community quarantine.
The new quarantine classifications will be in effect until September 30.
The government first imposed quarantine measures in mid-March to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Philippines now has the most COVID-19 infections in Southeast Asia and has surpassed the tally of mainland China, where the disease originated.
The country’s confirmed coronavirus cases reached over 220,000. Of the figure, 157,403 have recovered, while 3,250 have died.
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