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| President Rodrigo Duterte gestures while addressing Filipino Overseas Workers who were repatriated from Kuwait. (Photo from: Bullit Marquez / AP) |
[아시아뉴스통신=조날드 타파난 기자] President Rodrigo Duterte has reverted Metro Manila to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from Aug. 4 to 18 as COVID-19 cases in the country exceeded 100,000. In a late-night public address, President Duterte approved the recommendation of his Cabinet to return to a more stringent quarantine status in response to medical front-liners’ call for a timeout to prevent the collapse of the country's healthcare system amid the prevailing health crisis.
At least 80 medical associations representing thousands of doctors signed a letter asking the government to revert Manila to Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). However, President Duterte approved his Cabinet’s recommendation to revert to MECQ, the second most stringent quarantine classification. Aside from Metro Manila, the provinces of Laguna, Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan will also revert to MECQ.
