The province of Ifugao is now also under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) along with the National Capital Region-plus (NCR-plus) bubble area and three other places in the country until May 14.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement as the country enters its 14th month under quarantine due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Roque announced over State-run PTV-4 that Ifugao was placed under MECQ following the appeal of its local government.
The areas in the Philippines under MECQ until May 14 are:
- NCR+
- Abra
- Ifugao
- City of Santiago, Isabela
- Quirino
Meanwhile, the City of Puerto Princesa in Palawan was placed under the general community quarantine (GCQ) until the end of the month also after its local government appealed for a stricter quarantine.
The areas in the country under GCQ until May 31 are:
- Apayao
- Baguio City
- Benguet
- Kalinga
- Mt. Province
- Cagayan
- Isabela
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Batangas
- Quezon Province
- Puerto Princesa City (added)
- Tacloban City
- Iligan City
- Davao City
- Lanao del Sur
Meanwhile, the rest of the country will be under the modified GCQ (MGCQ) until the end of the month.
Based on Resolution No. 113-A of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, all areas in the country should ensure improved implementation of engineering and administrative controls, especially ventilation standards and actions against crowdings and gatherings.
Local government units (LGUs) shall implement health promotion and strict enforcement of minimum public health standards, especially their uniform implementation in high-risk areas such as healthcare settings, wet markets, supermarkets, government offices, workplaces, and at home, among others.
All areas in the country shall likewise implement localized community quarantine and ramp up the availability of identified quarantine facilities in priority/critical areas with community transmission with the concurrence of the regional IATF.
All returning citizens, and suspect and probable cases must immediately be placed under facility-based isolation. Those exhibiting symptoms and individuals awaiting their test results must also undergo isolation.
There should also be an improved distribution of personal protective equipment and waste management, and continuous health education on COVID-19 transmissions.
All areas in the country shall ramp up local health systems capacity, especially for community isolation and critical care, including dedicated mechanical ventilators, and ICUs, isolation, and ward beds for COVID-19 cases.
LGUs are likewise required to submit complete and accurate data through COVID-Kaya and the Department of Health (DOH) DataCollect.
On Wednesday, President Duterte asked for the public's understanding following his decision to extend for another two weeks the MECQ, saying it was necessary due to the spike of COVID-19 cases.