Duterte extends MECQ in NCR Plus until May 14, 2021

President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in the National Capital Region and the adjacent provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna or the NCR Plus bubble until May 14, 2021.

In a public address on Wednesday night, Duterte said the City of Santiago and Quirino and Abra will also be under MECQ from May 1 to May 31, 2021.

Meanwhile, the following areas will be placed under the less strict general community quarantine from May 1 to 31:

• Apayao
• Baguio City
• Benguet
• Ifugao
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Cagayan
• Isabela
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Batangas
• Quezon
• Tacloban City
• Iligan City
• Davao City
• Lanao del Sur

The rest of the country, on the other hand, will remain under modified GCQ.

"There will always be a rise and maybe exponential ang takbo ng COVID 'pag hindi kayo sumunod ng batas," Duterte said.

"This is not only a medical issue. It is now of national interest and maybe the survival of the Filipinos," he added.

Earlier, the OCTA Research group recommended a one-week extension of the MECQ in NCR Plus to allow the ongoing decrease in daily case numbers to stabilize.

The country has so far recorded 1,020,495 cases of COVID-19 including 935,695 recoveries, 10,739 deaths, and 67,769 active cases. -MDM/LDF, GMA News