Malacañang said Metro Manila will be placed under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20 but will first undergo a new variant of the general community quarantine (GCQ) to allow business owners and the public to make the necessary preparations.
Dos and Don'ts during GCQ with heightened and additional restrictions (Manila Bulletin)
In his announcement over State-run PTV-4, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque explained that the move to ECQ was caused by the rising number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the country and with the local transmission of the dreaded Delta variant.
However, he said the National Capital Region (NCR) will first be placed under GCQ "with heightened and additional restrictions" from July 30 to August 5 to give business owners the opportunity to make the necessary arrangements in case their businesses will not be allowed to operate during the two-week ECQ period.
Here are the things allowed under the week-long stricter GCQ:
Food services
Indoor dine-in services and al fresco dining are prohibited. Only take-out and delivery are allowed.
For food establishments that opened on July 30, they will be allowed to continue and finish operations within the day.
Personal care services
Personal care services, such as beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops, and nail spas may operate up to 30 percent of the venue or seating capacity.
Travel
Public transportation shall remain operational. However, only Authorized Persons Outside their Residences (APORs) shall be allowed to travel into and out of the NCR-plus bubble area, which includes Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, and Rizal.
Outdoor tourist attractions, as may be defined by the Department of Tourism (DOT), are allowed to operate at 30 percent of the venue capacity.
Religious gatherings
Only virtual religious gatherings shall be allowed.
Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall be allowed, provided they are limited to immediate family members.
Not allowed
Meanwhile, the following will not be allowed during the GCQ period:
- Indoor sports courts and venues
- Indoor tourist attractions
- DOT specialized markets like staycations