Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) — Aside from NCR Plus, which is under modified enhanced community quarantine to curb the surge in coronavirus infections, the Department of Health has also observed an increase in COVID-19 cases in other regions in Luzon, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Wednesday.
“As of yesterday, nakita nating mayroon tayong rehiyon katulad ng Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4-A and CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region) na mayroon na talagang pagtaas ng kaso sa kani-kanilang lugar and their healthcare utilization is being affected as well,” Vergeire said in a briefing.
[Translation: As of yesterday, we saw a spike in Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4-A, and CAR and their healthcare utilization is being affected as well.]
Vergeire said clusters of cases mainly come from communities, but noted more people are catching COVID-19 in workplaces like hospitals.
“Nadagdagan po yung porsiyento na nagkakasakit sa workplaces,” she noted.
[Translation: The number of people getting infected in workplaces is rising.]
NCR Plus or Greater Manila which is composed of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal transitioned to a more relaxed quarantine status on Monday after being placed under the strictest enhanced community quarantine for two weeks due to an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases.
The Greater Manila area, as well as the provinces of Quirino and Abra, and Santiago City in Isabela are under the MECQ until April 30.
Over the past weeks, the country has been setting new record highs in the number of infections. It also recorded the deadliest day of the pandemic on April 10 as the government reported the death of 401 people due to COVID-19 on that day.
The DOH has so far logged 884,783 COVID-19 cases nationwide, of which 15,286 resulted in deaths. Meanwhile, 703,963 have been tagged as recovered.
READ: MECQ guidelines: What we know so far
