The enhanced community quarantine effective in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal is extended by “a minimum of one week” as the area continues to experience surges in COVID-19 infections, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Saturday.
By extending the ECQ status of the “NCR Plus,” President Rodrigo Duterte heeded the recommendation of Department of Health, some local executives, and the OCTA Research group.
“Nagrekomenda po ang inyong IATF na pahabain pa ang enhanced community quarantine ng minimum isa pang linggo sa buong Metro Manila, at mga probinsya ng Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite, at Rizal,” Roque said in a virtual briefing.
Aside from the usual protocols, Roque reported that the government will intensify its PDITR or Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat, and Reintegrate strategy. This involves house-to-house visits of residents in the area to check who has symptoms, test them, and then isolate those who are positive
According to the spokesman, the NCR Plus may return to a more relaxed modified enhanced community quarantine if the recalibrated strategies produce significant results in terms of COVID-19 infections.
On Friday, the country logged 15,310 more infections, which include a backlog of 3,709 cases from March 31. Still, the 11,601 confirmed cases that day became the biggest single-day increase in infections, but it was quickly overtaken by the 12,576 new COVID-19 cases reported on Saturday.
