President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Wednesday that the NCR Plus will remain under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to address shortages in hospital beds and the increase in COVID-19 cases, especially in Metro Manila. As of this writing, the total COVID-19 cases in the country has surpassed over a million already.
The strict quarantine guidelines in NCR Plus have now been extended until May 14, 2021. MECQ in areas like Santiago City in Quirino Province and Abra Province has been extended until the end of May.
Unified curfew hours now run from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
In line with this, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos announced that Metro Manila Council (MMC), through Resolution 21-09 Series of 2021, has agreed to adjust the curfew hours from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. starting May 1.
“All local chief executives in Metro Manila have agreed to enact their respective Executive Orders and/or adopt their respective Ordinances for the proper implementation of the standardized and unified curfew hours,” the resolution stated.
The MMC, comprised of the 17 local government units (LGUs) of Metro Manila, is the governing and policy-making body of the MMDA. It is also the council that implemented the curfew hours from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. during the MECQ period from April 12 to April 30, 2021.
In addition, the less strict GCQ will be imposed on the following areas starting May 1 until May 31:
- Apayao
- Baguio City
- Batangas
- Benguet
- Cagayan
- Davao City
- Ifugao
- Iligan City
- Isabela
- Kalinga
- Lanao del Sur
- Mountain Province
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Quezon
- Tacloban City
The Philippines has the second-highest COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia. The country has more than a million confirmed COVID-19 cases with almost 17,000 deaths. Metro Manila is the most badly hit by the pandemic with a total of more than 440,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,000 deaths.
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