Metro Manila and Other Nearby Areas Reverts to MECQ

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of the IATF to revert the quarantine status of NCR and other areas to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine starting midnight of August 4 – August 18, 2020. This is in response to the collective call of medical professionals in those areas to give them a breathing space by reverting the quarantine status of Metro Manila to Enhanced Community Quarantine.

Areas Declared to be Under MECQ (August 4 – August 18, 2020):

• Metro Manila
• Laguna
• Cavite
• Rizal
• Bulacan

In addition, the President has also approved the following:

• The hiring of additional health workers, including the hiring of 10,000 medical professionals
• Calling to active duty the enlisted medical personnel
• Additional benefits to healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients.
• Issuance of work and quarantine passes to limit movement.
• Intensify localized lockdown strategies
• Implementation of Oplan Kalinga
• Strictly enforce the observance of minimum health standards
• Provide 20 million masks for the poor
• Use of RT-PCR testing as the gold standard

Source: Presidential Communications