By ARGYLL GEDUCOS
Save for 15 areas that are still in stricter lockdown measures, majority of the country will be placed under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) from August 16 to 31, Malacañang said.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the announcement on the last day of the existing quarantine period for most areas in the country except for Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal which are under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until August 18.
In a virtual presser on Saturday, Roque said the entire country is placed under the MGCQ until the end of the month except for the MECQ areas.
Classifified under general community quarantine (GCQ) are Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Quezon, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Lapu Lapu City, Mandaue City, Talisay City and two of Cebu municipalities – Minglanilla and Consolacion.
Meanwhile, Roque said that President Duterte will announce the quarantine classifications of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal on Monday.
He said that it will be up to the President to decide if he will keep the said areas under MECQ should the medical community request another timeout, especially with the spike of cases on Friday.
He, however, said that the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases already has a recommendation for the areas currently under MECQ.
“Meron na pong rekomendasyon na bingay ang IATF pero hindi po natin pwedeng pangunahan ang ating Presidente,” Roque said.
Duterte appeared not keen on extending the MECQ in the said areas, saying the people need to work to revive the economy.
According to the Palace official, while the rest of the country is under MGCQ already, some provinces, highly-urbanized cities, and independent component cities will still be under strict enforcement of local action.
“Magkakaroon pa rin po tayo ng localized ECQ. So wala po talagang katapusan ang ECQ dahil ang ECQ ngayon ay localized or granular,” Roque said.
He said that the National Task Force (NTF) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) are directed to ensure that areas flagged for local action shall implement strict lockdown of areas in line with the Zoning Containment Strategy.
The NTF and the DILG shall ensure the strict enforcement of minimum public health standards, and intensified tracing and quarantine of close contacts and isolation of confirmed cases.