PRESIDENTIAL Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. on Friday, September 10, 2021, said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has provisionally approved the implementation of a new system of granular lockdowns in Metro Manila in another attempt to curb the rapid transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Under this new system, alert levels will be assigned to each area and there will be only two quarantine classifications — enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ).

The general guidelines for the pilot implementation of this new system are:

• Classification of areas according to alert levels will be done weekly;
• All areas shall implement granular lockdown guidelines of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19, which may be updated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and transit of goods will remain unimpeded and that the destination is not covered by granular lockdown;
• Mobility restrictions will be strictly implemented except for healthcare workers and non-health personnel of medical facilities, overseas Filipino workers bound for international travel and those returning after completion of quarantine period, and those seeking medical attention and other exceptional circumstances;
• Households in areas under granular lockdown or families in isolation will be provided assistance by their local government units (LGUs) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.