[ad_1]
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday night that Metro Manila and 9 other areas will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ), the third strictest level of 4 levels of lockdown, until January 31, 2021.
This is intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which experts say could increase after Christmas gatherings.
The following areas will be under GCQ until January 31, Duterte said in his weekly address on the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Metro Manila
- Isabella
- Santiago city
- Batangas
- Iloilo
- Tacloban City
- South Lanao
- Iligan City
- Davao city
- Davao del Norte
Duterte, however, said the new quarantine classifications may still change, subject to appeals by their respective local government units.
The rest of the country will be under modified GCQ, which has the least restrictive measures in the country’s 4-level lockdown system.
Metro Manila, which accounts for about a third of the country’s gross domestic product, has been under GCQ since August, with stricter closures enforced in previous months as COVID-19 infections rose.
The Philippines has tallied more than 470,000 coronavirus infections, as of Monday. The first wave of infections that has not stopped has prevented the economy from fully reopening.
Experts from the OCTA Research Groups previously said it was “very possible” that Metro Manila would count 4,000 new COVID-19 cases a day after Christmas if the public did not follow health protocols during the holidays.
Christmas 2020, Christmas coronavirus, January GCQ, Metro Manila GCQ, GCQ Davao City, December quarantine, coronavirus, COVID-19, coronavirus worldometer, coronavirus deaths, coronavirus cases, coronavirus how many, coronavirus updates, COVID-19 updates, pandemic, COVID, latest COVID, latest coronavirus, Philippine coronavirus, Philippine news
[ad_2]