MANILA - Dine-in option for restaurants, barbershops, salons, internet cafes and review centers will not be allowed to operate in the next 15 days following Metro Manila's shift to modified enhanced community quarantine, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Monday.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday placed Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan under MECQ until Aug. 18 after confirmed COVID-19 cases surged in the last 5 days, Lopez said in a statement.

Medical frontliners also urged government to put Metro Manila under ECQ for some "breathing space."

The decision was a "temporary step back" to heed the call of medical practitioners, Lopez said.

"Under the MECQ, there are still a number of business sectors allowed although most at limited scale, while some of the recently allowed sectors under GCQ such as dine-in restaurants, barbershops, salons, and the recent additions such as gyms, review and testing centers, other personal grooming shops, internet cafes, shall not be allowed temporarily in the next 15 days," Lopez said.

Lopez earlier said the Department of Trade and Industry backed localized lockdowns instead of placing the entire Metro Manila under ECQ.

"We wish that this move back to MECQ will break the increasing trend of positive COVID cases and will eventually allow us to bring back the much needed livelihood and jobs to many of our countrymen," he said.

• Duterte again puts Metro Manila under MECQ as virus cases surge

Some businesses are still allowed to operate at 100 capacity during the MECQ including:

• Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
• Production of essential hygiene products, medicines, vitamins, PPEs, masks and other medical supplies
• Essential retail such as groceries, markets, convenience stores and drug stores
• Water refilling stations
• Laundry servicces
• Hospitals, clinics
• Logistics services
• Delivery and courier services
• Telcos, energy and power companies
• Gasoline stations
• Essential constructions (isolation faciities, etc)
• BPOs
• Printing
• Media
• Mining
• Electronic commercce
• Postal
• Funeral, embalming, security
• Banks
• Capital markets

Business allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity under MECQ:

• Other manufacturing
• Office admin, support
• Financial services (money exchange)
• Legal and accounting
• Management consultancy
• Advertising and market research
• Architectural activities
• Publishing and printing
• Film, music, and TV production
• Recruitment
• Photography
• Restaurant delivery and takeout
• Malls and commercial centers - non leisure only

Gyms, fitness centers, sports facilities, salons and barbershops are not allowed under MECQ, based on the DTI guidelines as of July 31.