Metro Manila may shift to MGCQ in November if COVID-19 cases continue to decline – Mayor Olivarez

September 30, 2020

Metro Manila may be placed under the modified general community quarantine by November if cases of the coronavirus disease will continue to go down, an official said on Wednesday.

Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, chairperson of Metro Manila Council, in a televised press briefing, said the local governments in the National Capital Region will continue to implement the health protocols and to increase the critical care capacity as the region remains under general community quarantine for the entire month of October.

"If the trend will continue, the decline of cases and the recoveries, which already reached to more than 90 percent in other LGUs, and the continuous discipline among our constituents, I think until the end of October, after October, we will graduate from GCQ and hopefully with God's graces, this coming November we may shift to MGCQ with the approval of our President (Rodrigo Duterte)," he said.

When Metro Manila shifts to MGCQ, the most relaxed quarantine classification, he said more establishments will be reopened but minimum health protocols will be maintained.

As to the curfew in Metro Manila, Olivarez said mayors were studying if they will lift it.

Currently, the 17 LGUs in Metro Manila have been implementing unified curfew hours from 10pm until 5am.

Food delivery services, however, are not covered by the curfew. Celerina Monte/DMS