Metro Manila will still be under MECQ until September 15 

Contrary to the reports a couple of days ago, the Philippine government has deferred the switch to the general community quarantine (GCQ). Instead, they have decided on sticking to the current modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status starting today, September 8. 

It's MECQ once again folks

Furthermore, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the current quarantine status will remain until the pilot run of the new community quarantine system with the new alert level system is implemented, or until September 15, 2021, whichever comes first. 

By maintaining the MECQ status, the government stresses that both al-fresco and indoor dining will remain prohibited. Personal care services like beauty parlors, beauty salons, nail spas, and gyms are also barred from re-opening. 

Religious services will also continue to operate online. Although immediate relatives can still attend funerals and other necrological services provided that they can provide proof that they are indeed related to the deceased. Minimum public health standards will of course be required when attending these activities. 

Of note, the supposed GCQ was going to be implemented together with a new lockdown system involving granulated lockdowns targeting specific areas with high cases of COVID-19. Then again, the government had yet to release any guidelines regarding this new lockdown system even before the targeted date of its implementation (September 8, 2021). 

Many businesses continue to receive the short end of the stick

It was then revealed on September 7 that the said guidelines were not yet finalized, and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is still consulting with local government units in Metro Manila to further smooth out and finish the guidelines for the planned granular lockdown quarantine system. 

The current total number of cases for the Philippines as of September 7, 2021 now numbers at around 2.1 million, with a total of 34,337 deaths. On September 6, 2021, the country tallied the largest number of daily cases at 22,347. This is also the third time the country was put under MECQ. 

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