Manila and four other provinces in the Philippines will be placed under a more stringent type of general community quarantine (GCQ) as the number of Delta variant cases of COVID-19 in the country increases.
GCQ with heightened restrictions from July 23rd to 31st include:
- Metro Manila
- Ilocos Norte
- Ilocos Sur
- Davao de Oro
- Davao del Norte
On July 15, President Rodrigo Duterte lowered the National Capital Region to the “regular GCQ” after the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). It should last until the end of the month, but it would not be followed.
Despite that, Cagayan de Oro, City of Gingoog, Iloilo City, and Iloilo province have been placed under the strictest lockdown or Enhanced Community Quarantine.
“Health assessment are mandated to all arriving travelers after their isolation period,” Roque stressed in a statement. Incoming travelers are also required to adhere to testing protocols specified by the IATF-EID.
“To allow the conduct of safe economic activities, the IATF has urged establishments to identify more outdoor spaces for use as temporary outdoor weekend markets, dining spaces, permanently accessible urban green spaces, and public sanitation facilities.”
NCR, 4 provinces placed under GCQ with heightened restrictions
Because there is already a GCQ with heightened restrictions in Metro Manila and four other provinces, it will prohibit the entry and exit of children 5-years-old and above as a precaution against COVID-19.
Roque issued the statement a day after the Department of Health (DOH) announced the local transmission of the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 in the Philippines.
Local transmission refers to the COVID-19 infection within the country where its various clusters can be linked to each other.
“Following the phylogenetic analysis conducted by the University of the Philippines – Philippine Genome Center, and case investigation by the DOH Epidemiology Bureau and the regional and local epidemiology and surveillance units, clusters of Delta variant cases were seen to be linked to other local cases, therefore, exhibiting local transmission,” DOH said.
“Upon detection of local cases with the Delta variant, the DOH explained that the government has initiated enhanced COVID-19 response in areas where Delta variant cases were detected through the implementation of the four-door strategy,” it added.
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