DTI: Dine-in service, salons, gyms in Metro Manila, other areas can resume Wednesday, Aug. 19

MANILA, Philippines — Dine-in in restaurants, salons, and gyms in Metro Manila and four of its nearby provinces can resume operations by Wednesday or the start of general community quarantine (GCQ), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite have been downgraded from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to a more lenient quarantine or GCQ starting August 19 to August 31.

“Yung mall naman po even nung MECQ bukas, subalit may mga ilang stores na sarado pa dyan tulad po nung nadagdag na mga dine-in operation. Yan po ang magiging bukas na under GCQ,” Lopez said.

(Malls have been open even in MECQ but some stores were then closed like the dine-in operations. This will be reopened under GCQ.)

“Magbubukas ulit yung mga restaurants, dine-in, salons, barber[shop] at yung mga, if you remember bago mag-MECQ may mga nadagdag na mga sector— katulad ng mga testing center, gyms, yan ay magbubukas na muli under the GCQ,” he went on.

(Restaurants, dine-in, salons, barbershops and if you remember before we were reverted to MECQ, there were more sectors allowed to reopen like testing centers and gyms. These can reopen under the GCQ.)

Lopez noted dine-in operations can only resume up to 50 percent of the restaurants’ capacities.

Before Metro Manila and the four provinces were reverted to stricter quarantine, the government’s COVID-19 task force allowed the reopening of more businesses for GCQ areas.

These include testing and tutorial centers, review centers, gyms, fitness centers and sport facilities, internet cafes, establishments offering personal grooming and aesthetic services, pet grooming, and drive-in cinemas.

JE