Philippine capital back in lockdown as virus cases surge
The Peninsula
The Philippines placed the Manila region and nearby provinces under lockdown for a week from Monday to stem the nation’s worst coronavirus surge that’s overwhelming hospitals in its key economic area.
The national capital region and the adjacent Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal provinces will be under an enhanced community quarantine or ECQ, the nation’s strictest classification of movement curbs, from March 29 to April 4, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Saturday. A curfew from 6pm to 5am will be imposed during the lockdown. "Our health care utilization rate has reached a critical level in NCR and nearby provinces,” Roque said. "We really want to take drastic measures because the rise in cases has been drastic because of these new variants. Drastic threats warrant drastic response.”More Related News