Cavite and several other areas will transition to a more relaxed modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status starting April 12 until the end of the month after a two-week reimposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the strictest form of lockdown.

President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the pandemic task force’s recommendation to downgrade the quarantine restrictions over Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal and Metro Manila, said his spokesperson Harry Roque on Sunday.

The said areas, now collectively known as ‘NCR Plus’, were put under ECQ since March 29.

In a bid to stem the surge in COVID-19 cases, the ECQ status was supposed to end last April 4 but the government extended it until April 11. 

Other quarantine classifications

Moreover, Quezon province was added to the list of areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) along with the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Batangas, Tacloban, CitIligan City, Davao City, and Lanao del Sur.

Other areas placed under MECQ were Santiago City in Isabela, Quirino province and Abra. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the country will be placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

As of posting, the country reported 864,868 total confirmed COVID-19 infections with 149,519 active cases. Recoveries have reached 703,404, while 14,945 have died of the disease.