THE National Capital Region and its adjoining provinces would be spending the entire Holy Week in “solemn confinement” following the announcement of Malacañang placing Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite and Bulacan under the stricter enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in an apparent bid to control the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease.
Hard lockdown starts midnight March 29 until Sunday, April 4.
The Philippine government earlier placed the “NCR Plus” under a stricter community quarantine bubble that was expected to run from March 22 to April 4.
The IATF has recommended the re-imposition of the most stringent lockdown classification for Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite and Bulacan in view of the rapidly rising number of COVID-19 infections, which now stands at more than 712,442.
Interestingly, the imposition does not cover the same provisions given to those who were affected when the President first declared a strict lockdown sometime in March last year, citing the government’s financial condition.
The IATF originally wanted to clamp down on areas logging whopping numbers for the next two weeks, but insiders said that the President only agreed to declare hard lockdown until after the Holy Week.
The OCTA Research has been projecting a downtrend in the number of coronavirus cases in Metro Manila and its adjacent provinces, four weeks after the areas were placed in a “National Capital Region (NCR) Plus” bubble.
To date, the Department of Health has recorded 712,442 confirmed COVID-19 cases following the recent tally which recorded another all-time high — 9,838 new COVID-19 infections just for one day.
Active cases pegged at 109,018 also breached records from last year’s figure.