Metro Manila will again be placed under the most restrictive “enhanced community quarantine” from August 6 to August 20, as countermeasure against the further spread of Covid-19 in the region, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Friday.
President Rodrigo Duterte approved that day the recommendation from the country’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to impose the “enhanced community quarantine” classification in Metro Manila. Mayors in Metro Manila had called for a hard lockdown to stem the ongoing surge of infections in the Philippines’ national capital region.
The area covered by the quarantine includes Manila’s Entertainment City zone of casino resorts. It was not clear from the announcement if the operations of casinos in the capital city would again be under heightened restrictions.
Mr Roque said Metro Manila (pictured) would stay under so-called general community quarantine “with heightened restrictions” from July 30 to August 5, and shift to the more restrictive classification from August 6.
In a Friday announcement, Mr Roque said “additional restrictions” would be imposed in Metro Manila from July 30 to August 5. “The heightened restrictions for the national capital region are more stringent compared to the general community quarantine with heightened restrictions of other areas,” he stated.
Under the new measures, indoor tourist attractions in Metro Manila “may not operate”, and outdoor tourist attractions shall “be allowed at 30 percent venue capacity.”
All of the Philippines will remain under some sort of quarantine classification, depending on each region’s situation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.
Casino operations in the Metro Manila area include the large-scale private sector sites of City of Dreams Manila, Okada Manila, Resorts World Manila, and Solaire Resort and Casino.
The operator of the City of Dreams Manila resort said earlier this week that the property had been closed from March 29 to April 30 as part of community quarantine measures in Metro Manila. The property resumed gaming operations on May 1, but with capacity limited to 50 percent, it said. Gaming capacity at City of Dreams Manila has been further limited to 40 percent since Monday (July 26), said its promoter on Tuesday.
