Metro Manila and Other Areas to Stay Under GCQ Until January 31
President Rodrigo Duterte announced on December 28 that Metro Manila and nine other areas in the country will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) status until January 31, 2021.
Aside from Metro Manila, the provinces of Batangas, Isabela, Lanao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and cities of Santiago, Iloilo, Tacloban, Iligan, and Davao will also remain under GCQ until the end of January.
The rest of the country will stay under the least restrictive modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
However, these community quarantine classifications are still subject to appeal from their respective local government units (LGUs) as Duterte said.
President Rodrigo Duterte during the meeting with the IATF-EID members at the Malacañan Palace last December 28, 2020. /IMAGE King Rodriguez for Presidential Communications Operations Office
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) also discussed efforts to prevent the entry of a new strain of coronavirus that emerged in the United Kingdom during the meeting with President Duterte.
Also read: PH Temporarily Bans Flights from UK Starting December 24 to 31
The government continuously reminds the public to not leave their homes unless necessary and skip holiday festivities, especially large gatherings to avoid catching or spreading the disease.
As of December 28, 2020, the Department of Health logged 470,650 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, wherein 22,746 or 4.8 percent are active cases. A total number of 438,780 recoveries were recorded including the recent 104 recoveries, while 15 new fatalities were added to the death toll of 9,124.
Source: Philippine News Agency
