President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday extended the MECQ in Metro Manila, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite, and Bulacan until May 14, citing the healthcare system's need for more time to catch up with the COVID surge.
Abra and Santiago City in Quirino were also placed under MECQ but for the entire month of May.
Here are the other community quarantine classifications for the month of May:
GCQ
- Apayao
- Baguio City
- Benguet
- Ifugao
- Kalinga
- Mountain Province
- Cagayan
- Isabela
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Batangas
- Quezon Province
- Tacloban City
- Iligan City
- Davao City
- Lanao del Sur
MGCQ
- Rest of the Philippines
Some 24 million people were under strict quarantines in April, ECQ in the first two weeks, and MECQ until April 30, as daily infections rose to record levels. As many as 15,000 cases were reported in a single day at the onset of the surge and this week, the Philippines crossed the one-million milestone for cumulative cases.
The surge, coupled with the slow vaccine rollout, caused the Philippines to fall a "notable" 10 spots down Bloomberg's resiliency ranking of the best and worst placed to be during the pandemic. The fresh restrictions, Bloomberg said, endangered the prospects of a recovery for the economy that is in its worst recession since World War II.
ALSO READ:
PH Slips in Bloomberg Ranking of Best and Worst Places to be During COVID
How COVID Vaccines Work and Why You Should Get One