NCR stays in GCQ 'with heightened restrictions' until Aug. 15
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday announced that Metro Manila would remain under general community quarantine with heightened curbs until mid-August amid the threat of the more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.
The president approved the pandemic task force's recommendation in a taped address aired at midnight. It came despite experts' call for a "circuit-breaking" lockdown in the capital region, home to 13.4 million people, as the country detects more persons with the Delta.
Authorities have confirmed local transmission of the variant, with NCR cities accounting for 25 of the total 119 infections.
The IATF said these areas, along with Metro Manila, would also be under GCQ:
General Community Quarantine with heightened restrictions (August 1 to 15)
- Region 1: Ilocos Sur
- Region 2: Cagayan
- Region 3: Bulacan
- Region 4-A: Laguna, Lucena City, Cavite, Rizal
- Region 5: Naga City
- Region 6: Antique, Aklan, Bacolod City, Capiz
- Region 7: Negros Oriental
- Region 9: Zamboanga del Sur
- Region 10: Misamis Oriental
- Region 11: Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental
- CARAGA: Butuan City
General Community Quarantine (August 1 to 31)
- CAR: Baguio City, Apayao
- Region 2: Santiago City, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino
- Region 4A: Quezon, Batangas
- Region 4B: Puerto Princesa
- Region 6: Guimaras, Negros Occidental
- Region 9: Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte
- Region 11: Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur
- Region 12: General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, South Cotabato
- CARAGA: Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur
- BARMM: Cotabato City
These cities and provinces, meanwhile, would revert to stricter quarantine classifications:
Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (August 1 to 15)
- Region 1: Ilocos Norte
- Region 3: Bataan
- Region 7: Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City
Enhanced Community Quarantine (August 1 to 7)
- Region 6: Iloilo City, Iloilo province
- Region 10: Cagayan de Oro City, Gingoog City (component city of Misamis Oriental)
The rest of the Philippines, Duterte said, would stay under modified general community quarantine or MGCQ, the lowest classification.
Health officials on July 28 reported 4,478 new COVID-19 cases. DOH has acknowledged an ongoing increase in additional infections, but it refused to call it another surge.
Total coronavirus cases in the country have since stood at 1,566,667, with deaths at 27,401.
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