Defense Secretary and Chairman of the National Task Force against COVID-19 Delfin Lorenzana belied reports over an imminent lockdown of several areas in Metro Manila under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine or MECQ.
This after rumors has come to his attention and to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF COVID-19) that Metro Manila will be placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) starting Monday, December 21, 2020.
“This is not true” Lorenzana stated.
The official reiterated as the president had earlier announced, Metro Manila shall remain under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) until the end of the year.
Neither the IATF nor the mayors of Metro Manila recommended any shift in the quarantine status in this period.
“I would like to inform the public that the current situation in Metro Manila is stable and manageable and does not warrant a shift back to MECQ,” Lorenzana added.
“However, we appeal for the public’s cooperation in observing the health protocols we have in place, such as wearing of masks and face shields in public, washing of hands and practicing social distancing. Let us avoid going to crowded places and holding social gatherings in the meantime to help prevent a possible surge in cases during this holiday season,” he said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is still very much a threat to our public health and safety. Let us not be complacent,” Lorenzana stressed.