Cebu City and Mandaue Remain Under ECQ Despite Provincial GCQ Transition

The cities of Cebu and Mandaue remain under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) despite the rest of Cebu province transitioning to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) on May 20, as per the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). The ECQ in these cities will continue until May 31 due to rising cases. Other highly urbanized cities like those in Metro Manila and Laguna are also under MECQ or modified enhanced community quarantine, which is a step down from full ECQ but still stricter than GCQ. Cebu City has released its own guidelines for the MECQ phase, allowing some industries to operate again albeit not at full capacity, while non-leisure stores can open. The rest of Cebu province will see relaxed restrictions with buses and tricycles allowed to travel under strict distancing rules, essential businesses permitted to reopen but leisure establishments still closed.