The government’s coronavirus task force wants President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to extend the current general community quarantine (GCQ) in the National Capital Region and its adjacent provinces or the so-called NCR Plus from July 1 to 15 to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Aside
from extending the current restrictions in Metro Manila and its nearby
provinces, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging
Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) recommended that 21 areas in the country be
placed under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until July 15.
The
IATF announced its recommendations for the month of July during President
Duterte’s weekly public address on the government’s COVID-19 response Monday
night.
From
July 1 to 15, the IATF suggested placing Metro Manila, Rizal, and Bulacan under
general community quarantine (GCQ) “with some restrictions” and Laguna and
Cavite under GCQ “with heightened restrictions.” The NCR Plus is made up of
these five areas.
Areas
that will also be under GCQ for the same period include Batangas, Quezon
province, Baguio City, Ifugao province, City of Santiago, Isabela, Nueva
Vizcaya, Quirino, Guimaras, Aklan, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Antique,
Capiz, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City, Iligan City, General Santos City,
Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato, South Cotabato, and Cotabato City, Agusan
del Norte, Surigao del Norte and Agusan del Sur.
While
the situation in the capital region has improved, an uptrend in infections was
detected in other regions, including more urbanized locations such as the
cities of Butuan, Davao, Iloilo, Naga, Lucena, Cagayan de Oro, and Puerto
Princesa.
These
areas will be observing the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine or
MECQ for the same period.
Other
areas placed under MECQ until July 15, 2021 were Cagayan Province, Apayao,
Bataan, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Davao
Oriental, Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Dinagat
Islands, and Surigao del Sur.
The
rest of the Philippines will remain under the more lenient modified general
community quarantine (MGCQ) quarantine classification, which allows businesses
to operate normally while adhering to minimum health standards such as social
distancing and the use of face masks and shields.
The
country has recorded a total of 1,403,588 coronavirus infections. According to
the health department, active cases in the country totaled 52,029, with 24,456
deaths as of June 28.
During Monday’s meeting with the President, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippines had been able to administer at least 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. PND
