Laguna, Aklan Placed Under MECQ, Cebu Under GCQ with Heightened Restrictions

The provinces of Laguna, Aklan, and Apayao have been reclassified to modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ from Aug. 1 to 15, Malacañang said Sunday, as the country braces to curb the spread of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Cebu province was also downgraded to general community quarantine or GCQ with heightened restrictions from MECQ after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19.

MECQ is the second highest while GCQ is the second lowest under the government's four-step classification system.

The changes in the quarantine classifications for these provinces came as Metro Manila prepared for the highest quarantine, ECQ, from Aug. 6 to 20 due to the threat of the Delta variant.

Aside from this, the IATF also approved the shortening of the interval between detection and isolation of COVID-19 cases to less than five days, prioritizing facility-based isolation and quarantine to prevent household transmission, ramping up vaccination for A2 and A3 priority groups, among others.

Here are the quarantine classifications for August:

ECQ (August 1-7)

• Gingoog City, Iloilo City
• Iloilo Province
• Cagayan de Oro City

ECQ (August 6-20)

• Metro Manila

MECQ (August 1-15)

• Ilocos Norte
• Bataan
• Mandaue City
• Lapu-Lapu City
• Cebu City
• Laguna
• Aklan
• Apayao

GCQ with heightened restrictions (August 1-5)

• Metro Manila

GCQ with heightened restrictions (August 1-15)

• Ilocos Sur
• Cagayan
• Bulacan
• Cavite
• Rizal
• Lucena City
• Naga City
• Antique
• Bacolod City
• Capiz
• Negros Oriental
• Zamboanga del Sur
• Misamis Oriental
• Davao City
• Davao del Norte
• Davao Occidental
• Davao de Oro
• Butuan City
• Cebu

GCQ (August 1-31)

• Baguio City
• Santiago City
• Quirino
• Isabela
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Batangas
• Quezon
• Puerto Princesa
• Guimaras
• Negros Occidental
• Zamboanga Sibugay
• Zamboanga City
• Zamboanga del Norte
• Davao Oriental
• Davao del Sur
• General Santos City
• Sultan Kudarat
• Sarangani
• North Cotabato
• South Cotabato
• Agusan del Norte
• Agusan del Sur
• Surigao del Norte
• Surigao del Sur
• Dinagat Islands
• Cotabato City 

MGCQ (August 1-31)

• Rest of the country