Manila halts the easing of Covid-19 restrictions

Authorities have decided Manila will remain under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until at least September 15.

The Philippines.- Authorities in the Philippines have announced that the capital city of Manila will remain under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) instead of moving to the more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ).

The announcement was made a day after the government had announced that Manila was going to ease Covid-19 countermeasures.

Harry Roque, the presidential spokesperson, had said GCQ was going to be implemented in Metro Manila because of its high immunisation rate compared with the rest of the country. Almost 45 per cent of Metro Manila inhabitants have now been vaccinated against Covid-19.

The government now says that Metro Manila will maintain a higher restriction level until September 15.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will start to test a “four-level” system under “granular” lockdowns, specifically targeting areas of outbreaks rather than putting the entire province under restrictions.

Roque said that the inter-agency working group will also consult with local government departments in Metro Manila before finalising the guidelines for the implementation of a partial lockdown in the area. According to the Philippine News Agency, the pilot test will be evaluated every two weeks.

Under MECQ, casinos in the Entertainment City zone remained closed.