Philippines looking at month-long community quarantine schemes

MANILA - The government is looking at imposing month-long community quarantine classifications, a Cabinet official said Monday, as President Rodrigo Duterte is set to announce fresh virus restrictions.

The inter-agency task force on COVID-19 pandemic response is already discussing imposing community quarantines for a longer-term period instead of the usual half-month period, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

"We're looking into longer-term period ng community quarantine. In other words, baka hindi na 14 days, baka one month ang duration," Lopez said in a virtual press briefing.

(Maybe it's no longer 14 days but 1 month.)

Since the start of pandemic lockdowns in March, the government has routinely revised community quarantine classifications of parts of the country every 15 days.

The Philippines employs a 4-level community quarantine scheme ranging from the strictest enhanced community quarantine to the most relaxed modified general community quarantine or MGCQ.

The quarantine level dictates the type of business activities allowed in a certain area, as well as travel restrictions.

From Aug. 16 to 31, all parts of the Philippines were placed under two quarantine levels--general community quarantine, and MGCQ.