MANILA, Philippines — The coronavirus task force has returned Iloilo City to modified enhanced community quarantine starting Sunday until May 31 due to an increase in COVID-19 infections.
Officials in a May 22 resolution approved the move for stricter pandemic curbs in the city after an appeal from its own local government.
"This will help us in lowering our cases and also in our contact tracing efforts," said Mayor Jerry Trenas in a Facebook post. "During this time, please go out only when necessary and make sure to follow minimum health protocols."
Trenas has ordered the temporary closure of the city hall there after a rise in cases among employees, along with mass testing for staff beginning Monday, May 24.
He also appealed to malls and other business establishments to put on hold sales and promos to avoid encouraging people to go out.
Local authorities recorded 44 additional COVID-19 patients on Saturday. Per a tracker by the Department of Health, Iloilo City has 686 active cases at present.
In the same resolution, the task force extended the MECQ status in Apayao and Benguet in the Cordillera Administrative Region, as well as in Cagayan to until the end of the month.
"The risk-level classification of the aforementioned provinces and highly urbanized cities shall be without prejudice to their further reclassification as may be warranted and the declaration of localized Enhanced Community Quarantine in critical areas," it said.
Most areas in the Philippines are under the least strict quarantine classification.
Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal or the 'NCR Plus' and Abra, meanwhile, are under GCQ.
To date, the country's overall count of infections has reached 1,178,217, with 19,946 deaths and 1,103,945 recoveries.