Bacolod City and Iloilo are now included in the updated list of areas under extended enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the Palace announced on April 30.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a press briefing listed all the areas covered by the May 15 extension of the ECQ:
- Metro Manila
- Region III - Central Luzon (except Aurora)
- Region IV A - CALABARZON
- Pangasinan
- Benguet
- Iloilo including Iloilo City
- Cebu
- Bacolod City
- Davao City
Areas not included in the list will be under general community quarantine (GCQ) or “new normal” starting May 1.
On April 24, the Palace announced that only high-risk areas would be placed under extended ECQ, which will last until May 15. At that time, Bacolod City and Iloilo were not yet considered high-risk areas, and would be placed under GCQ after April 30.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas was already preparing an exit plan for the city. A group of experts from the University of the Philippines Visayas studied a possible lifting of ECQ in the city to prepare for GCQ. Treñas submitted a copy of the 18-page study to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, and Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado for recommendations.
