Amid the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte that Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Rizal be placed under  Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

ECQ is the strictest quarantine measure in the Philippines. as the country battles the spread of the coronavirus that has already infected more than 700,000 Filipinos.

The task force has recommended that Metro Manila and surrounding provinces be placed on lockdown for at least a week to curb the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.