Metro Manila GCQ pilot delayed until Sept 15

Metro Manila's shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) with granular lockdowns, initially set for September 8, has been deferred.

The current Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) status will be maintained until September 15, 2021, or until the pilot GCQ with Alert Level System is implemented, whichever comes first.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) postponed the pilot implementation due to a struggle to finalize guidelines for the localized granular lockdowns.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed the deferral, stating that instructions were received at the last minute not to discuss the granular lockdown guidelines pending additional inputs from local government units (LGUs).

An IATF meeting on September 7 was intended to finalize the pilot-testing but instead resulted in the postponement of both the granular lockdowns and the downgrading of the quarantine classification.

The country has recently reported daily COVID-19 cases exceeding 20,000 for three consecutive days.