Duterte reverts Metro Manila back under MECQ

Last updated on May 6th, 2021 at 07:20 am

METRO MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday approved a Cabinet recommendation to again place Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan under a more stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until August 18.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed the president’s decision to address the concerns of the medical community amid the increasing number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections.

The Department of Health (DoH) said that the decision for a stricter restrictions will give a chance for the medical community and health system to recover.

The President said that calls from the nurses and doctors who asked for a “timeout” should be well-taken as they are right.  He said that he understand the healthcare workers and encouraged them not to resign as the country needs them.

The Philippines recently experience another surge in Covid-19 cases after shifting to a more relaxed General Community Quarantine (GCQ) restrictions.

The modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) aims to implement community-based active case finding and infection management and to raly a substitution team to health workers hit by the pandemic. MECQ will be implemented Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan from August 4 to 18.