MANILA (UPDATED) — The inter-agency task force on COVID-19 said Friday it placed 4 areas under enhanced community quarantine until the end of the month, as the Philippines recorded its first locally acquired cases of the more infectious Delta variant.

The following areas will be under ECQ, the strictest of 4 lockdown levels, until July 31, said task force and Malacañang spokesman Harry Roque.

• Iloilo province
• Iloilo City
• Cagayan de Oro
• Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental

The IATF earlier placed Iloilo province, Iloilo City, and Cagayan de Oro under modified ECQ, the second strictest lockdown level.

But their quarantine level was changed "upon the recommendations of the Department of Health, its Technical Advisory Group, and the Technical Working Group on COVID-19 Variants," said Roque.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) "shall provide augmentation support" to local government units adversely affected by the ECQ, Roque said.

"At present, the DSWD Field Office 6 is coordinating with the LGUs to determine how many families within the ECQ areas are affected and are eligible to receive aid from the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS)," he said in a statement.

The agency, he added, is coordinating with the military for the "immediate distribution" of family food packs to local governments under ECQ .

"This augmentation support is on top of the stockpiles and food packs, which concerned LGUs can provide," Roque said.

Meanwhile, Roque said Antique province would be under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions until July 31, instead of July 22.

Misamis Oriental will also be under GCQ with heightened restrictions until the end of the month, instead of the loosest lockdown level, modified general community quarantine, he said in a statement.

Factors for an area's quarantine level include the daily attack rate of COVID-19, the utilization level of the healthcare system, and the local government's capacity to trace and isolate potential patients, Roque said in a chance interview on Thursday.

DELTA THREAT

The Philippines is battling one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia, but infection numbers have been declining since peaking in March and April, allowing for a gradual relaxation of restrictions.

But 16 people had been found with the Delta variant, including 5 who had returned from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Britain between April and June, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a news conference on Friday.

• Philippines detects 16 new Delta variant cases, investigates possible local transmission

The other 11 were locally acquired cases, including a cluster of five people in the southern city of Cagayan de Oro. One patient had died after being hospitalized in Manila on June 28.

In May, the Philippines recorded its first Delta cases in two workers who returned from the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

"Mutation from the local population does not happen. It must have been introduced from foreign travelers," Cynthia Saloma, executive director of the Philippine Genome Center, told the news conference.

Philippine authorities have been scrambling to try and stop the variant from spreading after it has helped trigger a surge in infections across the region.

The Philippines has banned travelers from eight countries including India, Indonesia and the UAE until the end of July.

• DOH mulls travel ban on Malaysia, Thailand due to Delta COVID-19 variant
• Hundreds of Filipinos affected by PH travel ban on Indonesia

But while tightening border controls to keep the variant out, authorities have been loosening other curbs, including permitting children aged 5 and above to go outdoors.

• Adult supervision needed as kids 5 and up allowed outdoors in low-risk areas— DOH

With more than 1.49 million cases and some 26,000 deaths, the Philippines has the second-highest number of infections and deaths in Southeast Asia, and the detection of the Delta variant could slow the country's return to normality.

"We need to make sure no mass gatherings are held, and even small gatherings for families and work groups," Dr. Anna Lisa Ong-Lim, a technical adviser for the health ministry, said, warning of the risk of "super-spreader events".

Roque reminded the public to observe health protocols and get vaccinated.

The Philippines has so far fully immunized only 3.9 percent of its 110 million population, government data show.

• Philippines sets new daily COVID-19 vaccination record
• Muntinlupa discards some COVID-19 jabs after storage temperature change
• Should you refrain from drinking liquor after COVID-19 vaccination?

– With a report from Reuters

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