FILE PHOTO: People in face masks and face shields wait for a ride at Nepa Q-Mart bus station in Quezon City as Metro Manila remains under a general community quarantine. INQUIRER/NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The general community quarantine over so-called NCR Plus has been extended until July 31 while nine areas will remain under the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), Malacañang said Thursday.
In a video shared with reporters, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the following areas will be under MECQ:
- Bataan
- Iloilo City (only until July 22)
- Iloilo province (only until July 22)
- Cagayan de Oro City
- Davao Occidental
- Davao de Oro
- Davao del Sur
- Davao del Norte
“Kung hindi po mag-improve ang ating mga numero, posible po na mabago muli ang classification ng Iloilo City at Iloilo,” Roque said.
(If their numbers don’t improve, it’s possible that Iloilo City and Iloilo’s classification will change.)
Roque said the following areas are under GCQ “with heightened restrictions”:
- Cagayan province
- Laguna
- Lucena City
- Naga City
- Aklan (only until July 22)
- Bacolod City (only until July 22)
- Antique (only until July 22)
- Capiz (only until July 22)
- Negros Oriental
- Zamboanga del Sur
- Davao City
On the other hand, those under the normal GCQ are the following:
- Metro Manila
- Baguio City
- Apayao
- Santiago City
- Isabela
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Quirino
- Bulacan
- Cavite
- Rizal
- Quezon
- Batangas
- Puerto Princesa City
- Guimaras
- Negros Occidental
- Zamboanga Sibugay
- City of Zamboanga
- Zamboanga del Norte
- Davao Oriental
- General Santos City
- Sultan Kudarat
- Sarangani
- Cotabato
- South Cotabato
- Agusan del Norte
- Surigao del Norte
- Agusan del Sur
- Dinagat Islands
- Surigao del Sur
- Cotabato City
Roque said the areas not mentioned will be under the most lenient modified general community quarantine until the end-July.
The new quarantine classifications were announced as the Philippines’ COVID-19 cases increased by another 5,000 on Thursday, July 15, with the number of active cases totalling 45,495.
Meanwhile, over 4 million people in the country have already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of July 14.