(UPDATED) The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on Friday, July 16, 2021, placed Iloilo Province, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City and Gingoog City under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until July 31, 2021.
Iloilo City and Province are in Western Visayas while Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog are both in Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao. Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases with the Delta variant have been detected in Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao and National Capital Region.
From modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), Misamis Oriental was escalated to GCQ with heightened restrictions until July 31, 2021.
The reclassification was made upon the recommendations of the Department of Health, its Technical Advisory Group and the Technical Working Group on Covid-19 Variants, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said.
He did not say whether President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the IATF recommendation.
The IATF also extended the general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions in the province of Antique until the end of the month.
Duterte earlier approved GCQ with heightened restrictions for Aklan, Bacolod City, and Capiz in Western Visayas until July 22.
Under GCQ with heightened restrictions until the end of the month are Cagayan Province; Laguna and Lucena City in Calabarzon; Naga City in Bicol; Negros Oriental in Central Visayas; Zamboanga del Sur; and Davao City.
Also under GCQ until July 31, 2021 are the National Capital Region (NCR), Baguio City and Apayao in the Cordillera Administrative Region; City of Santiago, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino in Cagayan Valley; Bulacan in Central Luzon; Cavite, Rizal, Quezon and Batangas in Calabarzon; Puerto Princesa in Mimaropa; Guimaras and Negros Occidental in Western Visayas; Zamboanga Sibugay, City of Zamboanga and Zamboanga del Norte; Davao Oriental; General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato and South Cotabato in Soccsksargen; Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Sur in Caraga; and Cotabato City in Bangsamoro.
Bataan in Central Luzon; Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte in Davao Region; and Butuan City in Caraga are under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until July 31, 2021.
The rest of the country remains under modified GCQ, the most relaxed quarantine classification. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)