BY ARGYLL GEDUCOS
President Duterte decided to keep the National Capital Region (NCR) and the provinces of Bulacan and Batangas under the general community quarantine (GCQ) while three other areas revert to stricter quarantine measures for the entire month of September.
Duterte made the decision as existing quarantine classifications expire Monday.
In his late-night public address on Monday, President Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to keep Metro Manila, Bulacan and Batangas under GCQ from September 1 to 30.
Duterte likewise approved to revert the following areas to stricter quarantine measures:
- Iligan City from modified GCQ (MGCQ) to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ)
- Bacolod City (from MGCQ to GCQ)
- Tacloban City (from MGCQ to GCQ)
Meanwhile, areas not mentioned are under MGCQ.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said last week that a certain area must have a case doubling rate of 28 days before it could shift to MGCQ. At present, COVID-19 cases in the country have doubled every 9 to 10 days.
To date, the Philippines has recorded 220,819 COVID-19 cases, 3,558 of whom died while 157,562 recovered.
Following the relaxation of quarantine protocols to revitalize the economy, the government moved to “refresh” its COVID-19 response by stepping up testing, tracing, and testing efforts.
The President has announced that the government aims to test 3.3 million individuals by September.
