Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has reverted the quarantine status for select areas in the country from General Community Quarantine (GCQ) to a stricter Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).
Areas to be placed under General Community Quarantine for 14 days are the National Capital Region and nearby provinces with high number of Covid-19 cases, starting 04 to 18 August.
The announcement made late Sunday night superseded the previous declaration to retain NCR’s status of GCQ until 15th of August. This went on after the country’s healthcare professionals made an appeal to the government to implement a stricter status for NCR to allow them some time to rest and “recalibrate strategies” against the coronavirus.
The country’s Entertainment City, where the majority of Integrated Resort and Casinos are, have not formally announced commencement of operations for any of their properties. Suspension orders by regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Operators (PAGCOR) came to effect in mid-March as the government prepared the country for the pandemic. Okada Manila, one of the IRs in Manila, was the first to announce retrenchment in May, affecting over 1,000 employees. Okada Manila is the youngest IR in the country, having been in operations only since December 2016, with on-going completion for its approximately 42 hectares property.
Meanwhile, online operations (POGOs) had been given a green light to resume operations in May, but the ongoing debate in taxation amongst the country’s legislators and tax agency, has resulted to only a few of the licensees complying with the guidelines prior to reopening.