MANILA, Philippines — Three towns in Ilocos Sur are under stricter modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ until May 19.
Ilocos Sur Gov. Ryan Luis Singson issued an executive order placing Banayoyo, Galimuyod and Santiago from modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) to MECQ to ensure the implementation of stringent quarantine restrictions.
Singson said Cervantes, Narvacan, San Juan, San Vicente, Sinait and Sta. Maria, which were under MGCQ, would revert to GCQ.
“After having been placed under MECQ for several weeks and having slightly reduced their recorded positive cases, the... (provincial) task force (against COVID-19) also recommended the reclassification of Candon City and Caoayan from MECQ to GCQ,” he said.
”Despite interventions... the threat of COVID-19 in the province remains very high and alarming,” Singson said.
He said there are 247 active cases in Ilocos Sur as of Wednesday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the easing of the quarantine status in Tacloban City to MGCQ upon the request of the city government.
Malacañang announced on April 28 that Tacloban would be under GCQ until May 31.
There is no change in the quarantine status in Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Batangas, Quezon, the cities of Iligan and Davao, Lanao del Sur and Puerto Princesa, which will remain under GCQ until May 31.
Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Abra, Santiago City and Ifugao are under MECQ until May 14.
Zamboanga City will be under MECQ starting today ”until such time the menace subsides,” according to Mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar.
The rest of the country will be under MGCQ.
In Negros Occidental, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said a travel ban would be implemented in areas where the number of COVID-19 cases remains high and quarantine facilities are at full capacity.
The province logged 2,631 active cases, excluding 980 in Bacolod City, on Thursday.
Ten local government units in the province have more than 100 active cases.
Provincial Incident Management Team head Gerhart Zeaphard Caelian proposed a travel moratorium, noting that many quarantine facilities in the province are occupied by returning residents.
On the possibility of declaring lockdowns in areas where the situation has worsened, Lacson said they have to discuss the matter with concerned local chief executives. – Gilbert Bayoran