The National Capital Region, Bataan, and Laguna will remain under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from September 1 to 7, 2021, with the same additional restrictions, Malacañang announced.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has decided to keep the three areas under MECQ with the same additional restrictions on dining, personal care services, and religious activities due to the still-rising number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.
Other areas under MECQ but without the additional restrictions are:
- Apayao
- Ilocos Norte
- Bulacan
- Cavite
- Lucena City
- Rizal
- Aklan
- Iloilo Province
- Iloilo City
- Lapu-Lapu City
- Cebu City
- Mandaue City
- Cagayan de Oro City
The following areas will be under the general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions until September 7:
- Ilocos Sur
- Cagayan
- Quezon
- Batangas
- Naga City
- Antique
- Bacolod City
- Capiz
- Cebu Province
- Negros Oriental
- Zamboanga del Sur
- Misamis Oriental
- Davao City
- Davao del Norte
- Davao Occidental
- Davao de Oro
- Butuan City
The following areas are under the regular GCQ for the same period:
- Baguio City
- Santiago City
- Quirino
- Isabela
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Tarlac
- Puerto Princesa
- Guimaras
- Negros Occidental
- Zamboanga Sibugay
- Zamboanga City
- Zamboanga del Norte
- Davao Oriental
- Davao del Sur
- General Santos City
- Sultan Kudarat
- Sarangani
- North Cotabato
- South Cotabato
- Agusan del Norte
- Agusan del Sur
- Surigao del Norte
- Surigao del Sur
- Dinagat Islands
- Cotabato City
Meanwhile, all other areas not mentioned will be under the least strict modified GCQ (MGCQ) classification.
In his statement, Roque explained that the latest community quarantine classifications were only until September 7, 2021, pending a change in community quarantine guidelines.
Early this week, Roque said that the IATF was now "moving towards" the direction of granular or localized lockdowns as these were more effective compared to the regular quarantine classifications that the public has grown accustomed to.
Last week, he disclosed that experts thought that a different tactic in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic was already necessary since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) risk classification seemed to be no longer working.