11 localities in Cebu province back to MECQ

Cebu island | GOOGLE MAPS PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines – At least 11 localities in Cebu province were reverted to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) to stem the increasing cases of COVID-19.

Several mayors here announced on social media that starting Wednesday, August 11, the Capitol and the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) will be declaring ‘MECQ with heightened restrictions’ in several towns and component cities experiencing spikes of the infection.

These are the towns of Samboan, Sibonga, Argao, Cordova, Oslob, Liloan, Consolacion, Minglanilla, and the cities of Talisay, Carcar, and Naga.

The new classification will take effect tomorrow, Wednesday (August 11) at 12:01 a.m.

As of this writing, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, officials from the RIATF, and mayors of the province are still attending a virtual meeting.

Garcia is also expected to issue an executive order (EO) to formalize the recent changes as well as provide guidelines for implementation.

It can be recalled that the entire island of Cebu, including the three independent cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, and Mandaue, was initially classified under MECQ from Aug. 1 to Aug. 15 due to the rapid transmission of the virus.

However, the national IATF approved Cebu province’s appeal to downgrade to a more relaxed ‘General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions’ last Aug. 1.

But Cebu province has been grappling with a surge of COVID-19 cases, especially after health authorities detected the presence of the more transmissible Delta variant.

Recent data from the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) noted a 119 percent two-week growth rate of new COVID-19 cases in Cebu province. /rcg

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