After enduring a two-week hard lockdown, Metro Manila and two other provinces will downgrade to the second-highest quarantine level but with additional movement restrictions until the end of the month.
The government's pandemic task force has focused on "targeted restrictions, limited non-essential activities and re-calibrated actions on specific high-risk activities" following the latest change in the quarantine classification, according to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque.
President Duterte earlier agreed to deescalate Metro Manila and Laguna from the most restrictive lockdown to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) starting August 21. The province of Bataan will enter into MECQ on August 23 until the end of the month.
With the latest change in the quarantine level, Malacañang has released some guidelines on what MECQ means for these three places.
Roque said workers could resume limited onsite operations with the shift to MECQ. Localized or granular lockdowns, however, could still be imposed in an area where there is a surge of coronavirus cases.
"Local government units in the said areas are further directed to improve their vaccination rates, Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategies, and observance and compliance to Minimum Public Health Standards," he said.
Indoor and al-fresco dining will stay prohibited during the MECQ in NCR, Laguna and Bataan.
Personal care services including beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops and nail spas shall not be allowed during the MECQ period.
Residents of these three places won't still be allowed to physically go to churches for the meantime. Religious gatherings shall remain online or virtual while NCR, Laguna and Bataan stayed under MECQ, Roque said.
Necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals, meanwhile, shall be allowed, according to Roque. Immediate family members of the deceased who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall present satisfactory proof of their relationship with the deceased as well as comply with health protocols.
"The members of the IATF have decided that we all need to be strategic and purposive in our responses to control the further spread of COVID-19 and its variants," Roque said.
"Community quarantine is not the only solution to the pandemic," he added.
Under the government's existing MECQ guidelines, movement of all persons is limited to accessing goods and services and going to work in permitted establishments.
Any person below 18 years old and above 65 years old, with comorbidity or other health risk, and pregnant women are required remain in their residences at all times, except for getting essentials and going to work in permitted establishments.
Also prohibited during MECQ are entertainment venues such as bars and theaters, recreational venues such as internet cafes and bowling alleys, as well as amusement parks, fairs, and other kid amusement industries.
Indoor sports courts and venues, gyms, spas, tourist attractions, libraries, cultural shows, venues for meetings and conferences, outdoor tourist attractions, cockfighting, horse racing are also restricted.
Individual outdoor exercises have been previously allowed within the general area of a person's residence in MECQ areas. Concerned local government units are given leeway to implement certain quarantine rules such as curfew hours and outdoor exercises in their areas of jurisdiction.