Members of the QCPD ask motorists crossing the boundary of RIzal Province and Quezon City for proper identification and proof that they are Authorized Person Outside of Residence or APOR, along the BAtasan-SAn Mateo bridge in Quezon City, August 2 2021. The Philippine National Police (PNP) enforced border control measures at the boundaries of the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus areas in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) Delta variant. PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
THIS Friday, Metro Manila once again goes into enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as Covid-19 cases in the region continue to climb to alarming levels. President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to enforce a hard lockdown, following days of passionate debate over whether the rise in cases indicated Metro Manila was feeling the initial wave of a Covid surge driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant.