Malacañang announced that Iloilo City has been placed under a 15-day modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from September 25 to October 9.
In a statement, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque confirmed that the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases reverted Iloilo City to a stricter quarantine qualification.
On Thursday, the local government of Iloilo City revealed that it was considering placing the entire city under MECQ from the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) due to the spike in COVID-19 cases.
In a Facebook post, Mayor Jerry Treñas said their recommendation for Iloilo City to be placed under MECQ got the support of IATF vice-chair Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and COVID-19 National Task Force Chief chair Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
"The cases in the city continue to shoot up and we need your cooperation to help eliminate the virus. We need to act fast to protect the lives of Ilonggos," he said.
Based on the DOH's COVID-19 tracker, Iloilo City has so far recorded 2,136 COVID-19 cases, 1,467 of whom recovered while 31 died.
On Wednesday, Treñas placed the Iloilo City city hall under a three-day lockdown after 33 of its employees from the Treasurer’s Office tested positive for COVID-19.
The mayor likewise recommended the week-long suspension of flights for returning overseas Filipinos and stranded individuals to give them time to attend to the rising cases of the respiratory disease.
"We also did not recommend border controls because we do not want business establishments to be so much affected," he said.
Meanwhile, Treñas said public transportation in the city will not be suspended as long as passengers observe the one-meter physical distancing measure.