Metro Manila will be under ECQ starting August 6

Metro Manila will be placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20. ECQ is the strictest level when it comes to quarantine classifications. The decision to put Metro Manila under the strictest quarantine classifications is to limit the transmission of the Delta variant, which could lead to a possible surge in COVID-19 cases.

This news was announced by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stating that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to place the National Capital Region (NCR) under a two-week ECQ.   

Based on the guidelines released by the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson, indoor dine-in services and al fresco dining are prohibited. Only take-out and delivery are allowed in NCR.

Personal care services such as salons, parlors, barbershops, and nail spas may operate up to 30 percent of venue or seating capacity.  

Indoor sports courts and venues and indoor tourist attractions and specialized markets of the Department of Tourism (DOT) may not operate. However, outdoor tourist attractions, as may be defined by the DOT, shall remain to be allowed at 30 percent venue capacity.  

Only Authorized Persons Outside their Residences (APOR) shall be allowed to travel into and out of the NCR Plus Area, which includes Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, and Rizal.

Only virtual religious gatherings shall be allowed.  Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall be allowed, provided they are limited to immediate family members.

Other provisions of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of the Community Quarantine in the Philippines, as amended, not affected by the above restrictions shall continue to take effect, including those on the operation of public transportation.  

The use of active transportation, such as cycling, shall likewise be promoted.  

Roque also shared that there are now more than 19 million vaccine doses administered. As of July 29, the average daily vaccine jabs is at 646,390. 

Visit Philkotse.com for more of the latest updates on quarantine classifications.