(UPDATED) The National Capital Region (NCR) will revert to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for two weeks on August 6 to 20, 2021 while Cebu City and Cebu Province will be placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from August 1 to 15, Malacañang announced Friday, July 30, 2021.
From July 30 to August 5, additional restrictions will be imposed in the NCR, where cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) have spiked to more than 1,000 a day. The NCR, or Metro Manila is already under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions.
“Masakit na desisyon po natin ‘to dahil alam natin mahirap ang ECQ pero kinakailangan gawin po to para maiwasan ‘yung kakulangan ng ating mga ICU beds at iba pang hospital requirements kung lolobo po talaga ang kaso dahil sa Delta variant,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Friday.
The quarantine classification for Cebu City and Cebu Province, meanwhile, is still subject to appeals from the local government units.
Based on Resolution 130-A of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, indoor dine-in services and al fresco dining in commissaries, restaurants and eateries will no longer be allowed. Operations of these establishments will be limited to take-out and delivery.
Indoor sports courts and venues as well as indoor tourist attractions and specialized markets of DOT are also not allowed to operate.
Beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops and nail spas may operate up to 30 percent of venue or seating capacity.
Outdoor tourist attractions will remain at 30 percent venue capacity.
Roque said only authorized persons outside residence or those who work in essential businesses are allowed to travel in and out of the NCR Plus, which includes the provinces of Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna.
On-site religious gatherings are not allowed during the GCQ with heightened restrictions while gatherings for necrological services, wakes and similar events are allowed but should be limited to immediate family members.
Transportation services will remain unhampered.
Roque said quarantine classifications in other provinces as announced by the government on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 will remain.
In a virtual press briefing, Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the more stringent restrictions are meant to be preventive.
"The decision to have additional restrictions was reached by the IATF so that we can prevent the further spread and rise in cases," said Vergeire.
She said it was based on the projection of the IATF's data analytics team, which provided the task force with different scenarios and projections.
"During the meeting, we showed them the different assumptions and scenarios. We showed them the projected number of cases for different scenarios," said Vergeire.
The presentation included projections in relation to the Covid-19 vaccination program.
"We also factored in the level of vaccination in the country with one using the current level of vaccination and another if we increase it by 50 percent," said Vergeire. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo with a report from HDT / SunStar Philippines)