BUSINESS AT A STANDSTILL Several business establishments in Iloilo City have yet to resume operations while the government tries to contain the spike in COVID-19 cases in this economic hub of the Western Visayas region. —IAN PAUL CORDERO/CONTRIBUTOR
MANILA, Philippines — Iloilo province, including its capital Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro, and Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental were placed under the most restrictive enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until July 31, Malacañang said Friday.
The community quarantine reclassification of the mentioned areas was “made upon the recommendations of the Department of Health, its Technical Advisory Group, and the Technical Working Group on COVID-19 Variants” to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who also serves as the mouthpiece of the task force.
The IATF initially placed Iloilo City and Iloilo province under the less restrictive modified ECQ or MECQ until July 22 while Cagayan de Oro was supposed to be under MECQ and Gingoog City under the least restrictive modified general community or MGCQ until July 31.
READ: NCR Plus stays under GCQ until July 31, MECQ in several areas
Roque also said that Misamis Oriental has been upgraded from MGCQ to general community quarantine or GCQ but with heightened restrictions until the end of July.
The IATF likewise extended the GCQ classification of Antique up to July 31, he added.