Malacanang said the Metro Manila’s current risk classification as Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) shall be maintained until Sept. 15 following its announcement on Monday to put the National Capital Region (NCR) in general community quarantine starting Wednesday.

"The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) deferred the pilot implementation of the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with Alert Levels System in the National Capital Region (NCR)," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Tuesday night.

He said the NCR will remain in MECQ "until September 15 or until the pilot GCQ (General Community Quarantine) with Alert Level System is implemented, whichever comes first."

"Having said this, indoor and al-fresco dine-in services, and personal care services including beauty salons, beauty parlors and nail spas shall remain prohibited," said Roque.

"Religious services, on the other hand, performed through online video recording and transmission shall be allowed," he added.

Roque said the "immediate family members are allowed to attend necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals as long as the deceased died of non-COVID-19 causes."

"However, they need to show satisfactory proof of their relationship with the deceased and have to comply with the minimum public health standards," he said. DMS