Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has confirmed that Metro Manila will remain under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for at least another two weeks until 31 July.
The restrictions, announced via a televised address to the nation, mean that gaming operations within the National Capital Region will enter a fifth consecutive month closures, having first been ordered to shut down on 15 March.
According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Duterte had originally planned to ease restrictions in Manila to Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) following a recommendation by the University of the Philippines, but faced backlash from local mayors.
“There was a recommendation from UP to revert Metro Manila back to MECQ to slow down the spread of the disease,” Roque said at a press conference.
“At first, the President agreed but our chief implementer and our Secretary of Interior appealed to reconsider because our Metro Manila mayors vowed to strictly enforce localized lockdowns, enhance testing, tracing and treatment, and implement expanded restrictions under GCQ.
“So the President agreed not to revert Metro Manila to MECQ for the next two weeks.”
Manila has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, pushing the total number of confirmed cases nationwide to 58,850 with 1,614 deaths.
There was better news for Cebu City, where the quarantine classification has been eased to MGCQ.
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