Duterte may announce new quarantine status for NCR Plus on April 28

FILE PHOTO: Several patrons of a shopping mall in Binondo, Manila City, eat lunch in an outdoor space to follow a government task force guideline limiting restaurants, cafes, and other food establishments to open-air dining, takeouts, and deliveries as a precaution because COVID-19 cases are rising, especially in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces. INQUIRER/MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte will address the public on Wednesday, April 28, and may announce new quarantine classifications for the so-called NCR Plus in May, Malacañang said Monday.

“Baka po si Presidente na ang mag-anunsyo dahil ang Talk to the People po ay sa Wednesday,” replied presidential spokesperson Harry Roque during an online briefing on a query about when the new quarantine status for NCR Plus and other areas will be announced by the government.

(Maybe it will be the President who’ll announce it because his Talk to the People will be on Wednesday.)

Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will meet on Tuesday to discuss their recommendations to the President.

Earlier, Roque said the IATF will review the two-week attack rate, daily attack rate, and health care utilization rate in NCR Plus before it decides on its recommendation for a new quarantine status covering the areas of Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna, and Cavite.

The NCR Plus is currently under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until April 30.

Earlier Monday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he favors an extension of MECQ in NCR Plus for another week or two.

KGA