• Indoor dining at 20% venue capacity
• Bars, cinemas, arcades still not allowed
• Normal GCQ: CAR except Ifugao (MECQ)
President Rodrigo Duterte placed Metro Manila and four neighboring provinces comprising the NCR Plus bubble under General Community Quarantine with Heightened Restrictions starting May 15 as he ordered local chief executives to ensure that no fiesta (religious festivity) is held to avoid super-spreader events amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“May is traditionally the month for fiestas. Do not just tone these fiestas down – forego them. God knows we love him… We are just being mindful because we are still in a pandemic and there is no way of knowing how long this will last,” the President said in his address to the public late Thursday evening.
“I will not allow any violation of the guidelines given by the task force, and I will hold LGUs down to the last barangay level – meaning barangay captains – for laws that are not being enforced. If you want this country to recover from the onslaught of COVID-19, be mindful of how to prevent it,” he added.
The areas under GCQ with Heightened Restrictions from May 15 to 31 are Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.
For the NCR Plus area, only essential travel into and out of the bubble shall be allowed. Public transportation shall remain operational at such capacities and protocols in accordance with the Department of Transportation guidelines.
Indoor dine-in services in NCR Plus shall be at 20 percent venue or seating capacity while outdoor or al fresco dining shall be at 50 percent venue or seating capacity.
Outdoor tourist attractions in the NCR Plus, on the other hand, may be opened at 30 percent with strict adherence to minimum public health standards.
Religious gatherings and gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 in NCR Plus shall be allowed up to 10 percent of the venue capacity.
Also continued to be allowed in GCQ areas with heightened restrictions are non-contact outdoor sports and personal care services that allow for services not requiring mask removal, such as salons, parlors, and beauty clinics, among others at 30 percent capacity.
Entertainment venues such as bars, concert halls, and theaters; recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiards halls, and arcades; amusement parks, fairs, playgrounds, and kiddie rides; indoor sports courts and venues and indoor tourist attractions; and venues for meetings, conferences, exhibitions shall not be allowed in NCR Plus
Interzonal travel from NCR Plus areas, except those conducted by Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs), shall remain prohibited.
Under normal GCQ status from May 15 to 31 are areas under the Cordillera Administrative Region – Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Abra; Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya in Region 2; Batangas and Quezon in Region 4-A; Puerto Princesa in Region 4-B; Iligan City in Region 10; Davao City in Region 11; and Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The City of Santiago and Quirino Province in Region 2; Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region; and Zamboanga City in Region 9 shall be placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine from May 15 to 31.
All other areas shall be placed under Modified General Community Quarantine until the month’s end.
The Philippines on Thursday logged 6,385 new cases COVID-19, bringing the total to 1,124,724, as all laboratories were operational and were able to submit their data on time, the Department of Health said.
The DOH reported 55,260 active cases, which is 4.9 percent of the total. Of the active cases, 93.3 percent were mild; 2.2 percent were asymptomatic; 1.4 percent were critical; 1.9 percent were severe; and 1.18 percent were moderate.
The Health department likewise recorded 4,289 persons who have recovered and 107 new fatalities.