The national government has placed the entire Davao City under the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from June 5 to 20, 2021.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the decision is an offshoot of the appeal made by the Davao City LGU asking that their place be declared under a stricter lockdown level.
According the Davao City LGU, their healthcare facilities have already been saturated with patients infected with the deadly coronavirus disease. Even the biggest hospital in the city – the Southern Philippines Medical Center – has already reached its full capacity amid a radical surge of COVID-19 cases in the city.
Aside from the city where the President Rodrigo Duterte comes from, the Inter-Agency Task Force has also reclassified General Santos City. General Santos is now under the less restrictive general community quarantine (GCQ) from June 5 to 30.
MECQ prohibits non-essential trips and partially allows non-essential businesses and services to operate.
GCQ protocol, on the other hand, allows leisurely travel, although subject to compliance with Local Government Units (LGUs) guidelines.