President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to address the nation on August 17 (Monday) to announce new community quarantine classifications to be enforced in all parts of the country as current protocols near their expiration.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said it is “highly unlikely” that the strict lockdown will be extended in Mega Manila as the government can no longer provide cash aids to cushion the blow to poor families affected by stay-at-home rules.
Quarantine recommendations for all other provinces and cities for their classifications for August 16 to 31 have already been submitted for approvel, Roque added.
Over 4,400 new coronavirus cases were reported by the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday, bringing the national case count to 143,749.
Nearly 60 percent or 2,618 cases came from Metro Manila. Laguna accounted for 233, Cavite for 227, Rizal for 174, and Bulacan for 129 of the new cases, based on the latest report.
