03 August 2020 – Modified enhanced community quarantine over capital and 4 provinces

Type of Intervention: Executive Order, Specific Action
Sectors Involved: Executive Office, Private Sector and Businesses, Police and Interior Affairs, Transportation
Intervention Categories: Surveillance and other response measures
Level of Jurisdiction: National
Lead People/Agency: Office of the President of the Philippines

Overview: Upon the declaration of President Duterte on August 2, 2020, in a televised address, the National Capital Region and the adjacent provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan, shall be placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from 12:01 AM on August 4, 2020 until 11:59 PM on August 18, 2020
Full details here: https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2020/07jul/20200803-Memorandum-from-Executive-Secretary.pdf

Type of Justification: Advice of EXTERNAL group of non-academics (e.g. business or community leaders), Public Opinion (e.g. consultations, opinion polling), Perception of an increased threat
Source of Evidence or Justification: National – government, Medical Sector
Evidence/Justification: President Duterte responded to an open letter submitted on August 1, 2020 by various medical societies in the Philippines, calling for a 2-week enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and nearby provinces the comprise the Greater Manila Area (‘Mega Manila’). The open letter cited ongoing “healthcare worker deficiency”, failures in contact tracing and isolation, diminished bed capacity in various hospitals across Mega Manila, and immediate public compliance to workplace safety. Also, the country was about to reach more than 103,000 cases by the beginning of August 2020, with record high increase in the number of new cases placed at 5,032 (as of August 2, 2020). The implementation of the MECQ shall be done in accordance to the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines issued by the IATF.