PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has placed the entire Davao Region under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) classification until July 15 due to the rising number of daily COVID-19 cases.
The declaration of the President on Monday elevated the classification of other parts of the region from General Community Quarantine to MECQ.
The order placing the entire region under stricter classification is expected to regulate movement of people and arrest the spread of the virus.
Before the latest order of the President, only the city was placed under MECQ initially between June 5 until June 20 and was eventually extended until the end of the month.
The order placing the city under a stricter classification earlier in the month was the result of the appeal of Mayor Sara Z. Duterte after receiving reports that the city has experienced a surge in the daily number of COVID-19 cases.
Health experts of the city government, aside from taking notice of clustered cases especially in the workplaces like those of government offices and call centers, also attributed the increase in the number of cases to the intensified testing of people experiencing symptoms of the virus.
Among those who were tested included those working in public places like public utility drivers and public market vendors.
On Monday, the Department of Health Davao Center for Health Development reported that the region had 670 new cases, bringing the active cases to 10,250. The report said that of the new cases, 422 were from the city, 90 from Davao del Norte, 73 from Davao de Oro, 38 from Davao del Sur, 30 from Davao Oriental, and 17 from Davao Occidental.
