Philippines eases restrictions in Metro Manila

After two weeks of strict quarantine, president Duterte has announced the loosening of measures in the Metro Manila area, but casinos remain closed.

Philippines.- President Rodrigo Duterte has announced that restrictions imposed at the beginning of the month for will be eased tomorrow despite Covid-19 cases still rising.

According to the president, the in the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) will be lowered to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for the National Capital Region, which includes Metro Manila, as well as four other provinces.

While it has been reported that there are 3,313 new cases of Covid-19, with a total of 164,474 in the country, president Duterte’s decision seems aimed to reboot the economy.

Duterte said: “We want to ensure the safety of our people. However, some sectors, especially the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) are barely surviving.”

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque added: “Almost all industries will reopen, except for mass gatherings like entertainment and amusement for kids.”

Casinos, however, will remain closed until further notice.

The move has been supported by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

The government tightened quarantine controls in the National Capital Region earlier this month to the second highest level at the request of health workers.