Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 19) — Metro Manila is expected to remain under tight restrictions as it grapples with a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the feared Delta variant, the Palace said Thursday.
“Dalawang opsyon lang naman po ‘yan: mananatili ang ECQ in which case ang tanong, meron bang pang-ayuda; or ibababa po sa MECQ,” said Presidential and IATF Spokesperson Harry Roque when asked what outcomes the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is considering for the country’s capital region after August 20.
[Translation: There are only two options: stay under ECQ in which case the question is are there available funds for cash aid; or deescalate to MECQ.]
The National Capital Region’s enhanced community quarantine classification is set to lapse this Friday.
President Rodrigo Duterte is also tentatively set to deliver a public address on the same day to announce the region’s new quarantine status but may authorize an earlier announcement, Roque said.
The IATF will be meeting Thursday afternoon on new quarantine classifications for the rest of the month, he added.
This is the third time Metro Manila went into a hard lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic: the first instance was during the onset of the health crisis last year while the second round was in late March, with the region and nearby provinces saw a spike in infections said to be driven by the Alpha and Beta variants.
Roque emphasized that it would take time before the effects of stricter quarantine measures are seen, citing experience after previous lockdowns.
