Metro Manila will remain under the general community quarantine while Cebu City will transition to modified enhanced community quarantine, the Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced Wednesday evening.
Roque said that Metro Manila could still go back to modified ECQ if the surge of COVID-19 cases in the area continues in the next two weeks.
He added President Duterte initially approved the recommendation of the University of the Philippines (UP) to place Metro Manila under stricter quarantine measures, but two COVID-19 czars appealed the decision.
“Nag-apela po ang ating Chief Implementer [Carlito Galvez] at ang ating Secretary of the Interior and Local Government [Eduardo Año] dahil nangako ang ating mayors na paiigtingin ang kanilang lockdown; palalakasin ang testing, tracing, at treatment; at patutuparin ng mas malawakan ang restrictions sa GCQ,” he said Wednesday evening.
(Secretaries Galvez and Año appealed the recommendation because the Metro Manila mayors promised to intensify their lockdown, testing, tracing, treatment, and the enforcement of quarantine restrictions.)
“Kapag hindi pa rin napabagal ang pagdami ng kaso ng COVID-19 sa Metro Manila, posible pong mabalik sa MECQ,” he added.
(If the case doubling rate in Metro Manila won’t go down, then the region may be placed under the MECQ again.)
New quarantine classifications
The following areas will stay under GCQ for two more weeks:
- National Capital Region
- Laguna
- Cavite
- Rizal
- Mandaue City
- Lapu-Lapu City
- Ormoc City
- Southern Leyte
- Zamboanga City
- Butuan City
- Agusan del Norte
- Basilan
The following are designated as modified GCQ, medium risk:
Cordillera Administrative Region
- Benguet
- Baguio City
Ilocos Region
- Ilocos Sur
- Pangasinan
- Ilocos Norte
- La Union
- Dagupan City;
Cagayan Valley
- Cagayan
- Isabela
- Nueva Vizcaya
Central Luzon
- Bataan
- Nueva Ecija
- Pampanga
- Bulacan
- Tarlac
- Zambales
- Angeles City
Calabarzon
- Batangas
- Quezon
- Lucena City
Mimaropa
- Oriental Mindoro
- Occidental Mindoro
- Puerto Princesa City
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Bicol Region
- Albay
- Masbate
- Camarines Norte
- Camarines Sur
- Catanduanes
- Sorsogon
- Naga City
Western Visayas
- Iloilo
- Negros Occidental
- Capiz, Antique
- Aklan
- Guimaras
- Iloilo City
- Bacolod City
Central Visayas
- Negros Oriental
- Bohol
- Cebu Province;
Eastern Visayas
- Western Samar
- Leyte
- Biliran
- Tacloban City;
Zamboanga Peninsula
- Zamboanga del Sur
- Zamboanga Sibugay
- Zamboanga del Norte;
Northern Mindanao
- Misamis Occidental
- Bukidnon
- Lanao del Norte
- Cagayan de Oro City
- Iligan City;
Davao Region
- Davao Oriental
- Davao del Norte
- Davao del Sur
- Davao de Oro
- Davao City;
Soccskargen
- Sultan Kudarat
- Cotabato
- South Cotabato
- General Santos City;
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
- Lanao del Sur
- Maguindanao
Other areas not mentioned are under low-risk MGCQ, Roque said.