MANILA, Philippines – The Malacañang announces on Tuesday that the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) classification of Metro Manila will be lifted and is now classified as MECQ or Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine until September 15, 2021.
The Palace had previously informed the public that the NCR would be placed under GCQ from September 8 to September 30, in order to commence pilot testing in Metro Manila for the implementation of granular lockdown as a new quarantine classification.
Because of the new quarantine classification imposed in the NCR, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has “deferred the pilot implementation.”
To quote from Presidential Spokesperson/Secretary Harry Roque,
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) deferred the pilot implementation of the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with Alert Levels System in the National Capital Region (NCR)
Metro Manila’s current risk classification as Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) shall be maintained until September 15, 2021, or until the pilot GCQ with Alert Level System is implemented, whichever comes first
What is allowed and not allowed during the implementation of MECQ
According to Sec. Roque, “Indoor and outdoor or al fresco dining, as well as personal care services such as beauty salons, beauty parlors, and nail spas, will not be allowed to open in Metro Manila during the implementation of MECQ”.
Religious activities such as mass shall be allowed online.
“Only immediate family members are permitted to attend necrological services, wakes, inurnments, and funerals as long as the deceased died of non-Covid causes”, he said.
“However, they need to show satisfactory proof of their relationship with the deceased and have to comply with the minimum public health standards,” Roque said.
Beginning September 8, Metro Manila was expected to revert to a more restrictive general community quarantine that will last until September 30, 2021.
During this time, the region was supposed to implement a granular lockdown system with a four-level alert system that would determine the types of enterprises that may operate in a certain area.
The announcement came only hours before Metro Manila was set to switch to GCQ with granular lockdowns, in the hopes of better managing coronavirus infections and boosting the economy.
Your Comments?
Do you have clarifications/ comments about this article? Please feel free to drop one below.