Mayors in the National Capital Region (NCR) approved a resolution banning outdoor exercises as the metropolis grapples with the threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos revealed on Monday, August 9, that the local chief executives signed the proposal earlier in the day.

“Nagpasa rin kami ng resolusyon ngayon lang hapon na ultimo paglabas ng bahay maski mag-exercise ay bawal na po sapagkat importante for the next two weeks na mapangalagaan ang ating mga taga-Metro Manila,” said Abalos, who presides over the Metro Manila Council, which convenes the region’s 17 mayors.

(We passed a resolution Monday afternoon that prohibits outdoor exercises because it is important to ensure the safety of the people in Metro Manila for the next two weeks.)

Metro Manila has been under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) – the strictest form of lockdown in the Philippines – since August 6. It will last for two weeks, until August 20.

While starkly different from the first ECQ in March 2020, the latest round of hard lockdowns remains rigid: only select people are allowed to leave their homes, capacity of public transport vehicles is reduced, and border control measures are tightened, among others.

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Hard lockdown again: Metro Manila begins 3rd ECQ

For the third ECQ under the Duterte administration, Metro Manila mayors have set an ambitious goal to administer 250,000 vaccines daily, after the national government heeded their request for an additional four million doses.

If local governments in NCR are successful, their vaccination coverage would rise to 45% by the end of the ECQ, 5% short of the “population protection” against the coronavirus. 

As of August 6, the presence of the highly infectious Delta variant has been confirmed in all 16 cities and one municipality in the capital region. – Rappler.com