The National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) will remain under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for 30 more days.
Aside from the NCR, President Duterte placed the provinces of Bulacan and Batangas under GCQ, while three other areas revert to stricter quarantine measures for the entire month of September.
Duterte announced this Monday, the same day that the current quarantine classifications expired.
In his late-night public address, President Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to keep the following areas under GCQ from September 1 to 30:
• Metro Manila
• Bulacan
• Batangas
Duterte likewise approved to revert the following areas to stricter quarantine measures:
• Iligan City, from Modified GCQ (MGCQ) to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ)
• Bacolod City, from MGCQ to GCQ
• Tacloban City, from MGCQ to GCQ Meanwhile, all places not mentioned are under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said last week that a certain area must have a case doubling rate of 28 days before it could shift to MGCQ.
At present, COVID-19 cases in the country have doubled every 9 to 10 days.
As of August 31, the Philippines has recorded 220,819 COVID-19 cases, 3,558 of whom died while 157,562 recovered.
Following the relaxation of quarantine protocols to revitalize the economy, the government moved to “refresh” its COVID-19 response by stepping up testing, tracing, and treatment efforts.
The President has announced that the government aims to test 3.3 million individuals by end of September.