TUGUEGARAO CITY–The province of Cagayan returned to a stricter community quarantine for two weeks as it continues to see a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has approved the recommendation of Cagayan officials to place the province on modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from May 10 to 23. MECQ is the second most restrictive quarantine classification in the Philippines.
Local authorities said the province remains a “high-risk” area for transmission of SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and hospitals have reached their full capacity due to the rising infections.
The province had been on the least stringent general community quarantine.
Dr. Carlos Cortina, Cagayan provincial health officer, said under MECQ, only persons authorized to leave residence are allowed to be on the streets.
Cagayan has 1,886 active COVID-19 cases as of May 9. At least 1,017 of these are in Tuguegarao City.
TSB