Will President Rodrigo Roa Duterte lift the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) by May 15, 2021?
With the current downward trend of active cases, netizens are now asking about the possible relax quarantine classification in the National Capital Region (NCR) and neighboring cities.
The Malacañang Palace is expected to announce the new community quarantine classification few days before May 15.
Stand by here for the list of cities and provinces and their new classifications.
President Duterte initially announced the MECQ lockdown to “NCR Plus” bubble on April 11, 2021 covering the neighboring provinces of Laguna, Bulacan, Rizal and Cavite, Santiago City in Isabela, Province of Quirino and in Abra from April 12 until April 30. With the recommendations of DOH and experts, President Duterte later extended the MECQ from May 1, 2021 to May 14, 2021 to lessen the transmission of virus and to decongest the hospitals.
Status of Hospitals
According to the DOH Covid-19 Tracker, the capacity of hospitals in catering the Covid-19 patients is at a high-risk level even if the infection rates are declining. 74.17% or 867 out of 1,169 of the ICU beds were occupied . 49.58% or 2,587 out of 5,218 of the isolation beds were occupied and 60.32% or 2,096 or 3,475 of the war beds are occupied.
COVID-19 Cases Updates as of May 4, 2021
As per DOH latest Covid-19 Tally on Tuesday, May 4 2021, there were 5,683 new recorded active cases in the country with 97 new deaths. The total active cases are 66,060 while the total deaths accumulated to 17,622. The total recorded cases in the country are now at 1,067,892.
Base on the data in Covid-19 Case Bulletin from May 1 to May 4, there is a sudden decrease in the number of confirmed cases in the country. From 9,226 of confirmed cases in May 1 to 5,683 confirmed cases as of May 4, 2021.
These are good indications that the programs set by the DOH, Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and other government sectors are effective in lessening the COVID-19 cases.
Shall the COVID-19 cases continue to decrease and the percentage of recoveries further increased, there’s a high probability of easing restrictions in the NCR Plus bubble.
Here is the nationwide tally of COVID-19 cases as of May 4, 2021.
| Classification | No. of Cases |
|---|---|
| New Cases | 5,683 |
| Recoveries | 9,028 |
| Deaths | 97 |
| Total Active Cases | 66,060 |
| Total Recoveries | 984,210 |
| Total Deaths | 17,622 |
| Total Covid-19 Cases | 1,067,892 |
Other Updates
With the current MECQ classification, the IATF later approved the recommendation to allow at least 10% seating capacity in dine-in services. These include restaurants, eateries, commissaries and other food preparation establishments.
Meanwhile, the IATF also approved the operations of personal care establishments to allow at least 30% seating capacities under MECQ. These establishments include beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops and nail spas.
Your Reactions
What do you think? Will the President shift the classification from MECQ to GCQ? Let us know your reactions by dropping a comment below.
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