More areas placed under MECQ until end-June

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Roa Duterte has approved the recommendation to place more cities and provinces under the more stringent modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for the period from June 16 to 30, 2021.

Eight areas were added to the list of MECQ areas: Lucena City, Naga City (Camarines Sur) and Davao City; and the provinces of Bataan, Negros Oriental, Iloilo, Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Sur.

The following will remain under MECQ: Santiago City, Zamboanga City, Iloilo City, Puerto Princesa City, Cagayan de Oro City and Butuan City; and provinces of Agusan del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Cagayan, Apayao and Ifugao.

Benguet Province, which was under MECQ until June 15, will be under general community quarantine (GCQ) for the second half of June.

In the NCR Plus area, only the provinces of Rizal, Laguna and Cavite will remain under GCQ with heightened restrictions.

The National Capital Region (NCR), or Metro Manila, as well as Bulacan Province will shift to "GCQ with some restrictions.”

Duterte did not specify which restrictions will remain in the NCR and Bulacan.

The following will remain under GCQ: Abra, Baguio City, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Batangas, Quezon Province, Iligan City, Cotabato City and Lanao del Sur.

Added to the list of GCQ areas for June 16 to 30 are Benguet, Davao del Norte, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato Province and South Cotabato.

The rest of the country is under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) until June 30. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines)