117,000 violators recorded in NCR so far under MECQ —Eleazar

Around 117,000 violators have been recorded in the National Capital Region since the start of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), Philippine National Police chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar said on Monday.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, Eleazar added that an average of 13,000 violators have been recorded per day as of Sunday.

“Ang average po na nahuhuli natin or na-accost natin [ay] 13,000. Meaning to say, 117,000 'yung accosted po natin for the past nine days,” he said.

(The average number of accosted violators is 13,000 [per day]. Meaning to say, we have 117,000 accosted violators for the past nine days.)

According to him, 61% of the violators were just warned; 33% were cited, fined, or received violation tickets; while 5% were brought to police stations for other offenses.

Among the violations are KTV bars and resto bars operating during curfew, and customers caught dining in such establishments.

The NCR Plus— composed of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite—recorded a total of 369,243 violators or an average of 41,027 daily since the start of MECQ on August 21, based on PNP data.

Nationwide, 550,940 violators were recorded or an average of 61,216 per day.

The NCR will remain under MECQ until September 7, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

He said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has decided to retain the second most stringent quarantine status in NCR along with 15 other areas in the country.

The MECQ status will also be retained in the following areas:

Luzon:

• Apayao
• Ilocos Norte
• Bulacan
• Bataan
• Cavite
• Lucena City
• Rizal
• Laguna

Visayas:

• Aklan
• Iloilo Province
• Iloilo City
• Lapu-Lapu City
• Cebu City
• Mandaue City in Region 7 for the Visayas

Mindanao:

• Cagayan de Oro City

Roque also said NCR, Bataan and Laguna will have added restrictions on dining, personal care services and religious activities.

Under MECQ, the transition phase between the strictest measure, enhanced community quarantine, and the more relaxed general community quarantine, no dine-in services and religious gatherings are allowed. However, individual outdoor exercises are allowed. —KG, GMA News