Metro Manila will still remain under a general community quarantine until Oct. 31 to contain a coronavirus pandemic, according to the government.
Batangas and the cities of Tacloban, Bacolod, Iloilo and Iligan will join the capital under a general lockdown, while Lanao Del Sur was placed under a stricter quarantine, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said at a televised address late Monday.
Meanwhile, Lanao del Sur including Marawi City will be under a modified enhanced community quarantine after a spike in coronavirus cases, he said.
The rest of the Philippines will still be under a more relaxed modified general community quarantine.
The capital region remained under a general lockdown given rising infections in some areas, and hospitals that were almost fully occupied, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told the ABS-CBN News Channel on Tuesday.
The Department of Health (DoH) reported 3,073 coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total to 307,288.
The death toll rose by 37 to 5,381, while recoveries increased by 163 to 252,665, it said in a bulletin.
There were 49,242 active cases, 86.4% of which were mild, 8.7% did not show symptoms, 1.5% were severe and 3.4% were critical, the agency said.
Metro Manila reported the highest number of cases with 1,158, followed by Cavite with 225, Laguna with 203, Rizal with 173 and Batangas with 169.
DoH has said it would reclassify community quarantines based on a so-called two-week attack rate of the virus. It used to recommend lockdown restrictions based on the doubling rate of cases and deaths.
Under the new setup, the growth rate will be determined by comparing cases every two weeks, Ms. Vergeire told an online news briefing on Monday. — Gillian M. Cortez
