President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the implementation of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces.
‘NCR Plus’ shifted to MECQ in mid-April after spending two weeks in ECQ, which was the strictest quarantine classification.
The decision came as the government wrestled with a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“We have breached the million mark and it does not really surprise me. There will always be a rise at an exponential rise of COVID-19 cases if you don’t follow the law,” Duterte said in a public briefing.
Santiago City in Isabela province, as well as the provinces of Quirino and Abra, will also be under MECQ for the entire month.
Some areas will be placed under a more relaxed General Community Quarantine or GCQ: Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Batangas, Quezon, Tacloban City in Leyte, Iligan City in Northern Mindanao and Davao City.
“Mga kababayan ko, nanghihingi lang ako sa inyo ng paumanhin, I’m sorry that I have to impose a longer, itong modified enhanced comunnity quarantine kasi kailangan,” Duterte said.
