MANILA (UPDATE) — Effective midnight March 17, Tuesday, the entire Luzon will be placed under an enhanced community quarantine that will see the suspension of mass public transport and imposition of home quarantine, among many other restrictions, on all residents in the main island until April 12.

• Luzon under enhanced community quarantine as COVID-19 cases rise

"A strict home quarantine shall be observed in all households; movement shall be limited to accessing basic necessities... Mass public transport facilities shall be suspended; and land, air and sea travel shall be restricted," according to the memorandum issued by Malacañang.

In an earlier public address, President Rodrigo Duterte said tougher quarantine measures are meant to prevent the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from spreading to other parts of the country.

"I am placing the entire mainland of Luzon under quarantine until April 12, 2020 coinciding with the entire end of the Holy Week... We do not have the luxury of time to wait if there is really such a connection of a contagion somewhere. I cannot go into a guessing game. I have to act," Duterte said in a pre-taped public address.

In a later press conference, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the "general rule" of the Luzon-wide quarantine is to "stay at home."

"Ang general rule ay stay at home. If you leave your home to buy necessities, only one person ang puwede bumili, hindi puwede isama ang buong pamilya... Gusto natin 'yung walang galawan because we want the virus to stop from spreading," said Nograles, who is also the spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) leading the country’s response to the virus outbreak.

Private establishments providing basic necessities are allowed to operate during the enhanced quarantine period, according to the Palace. These include:

• public markets
• supermarkets
• groceries
• convenience stores
• hospitals
• medical clinics
• pharmacies and drug stores
• food preparation and delivery services
• water-refilling stations, manufacturing and processing plants of basic food products and medicines
• banks
• money transfer services
• power, energy, water, and telecommunications supplies and facilities

Meanwhile, classes and all school activities in all levels in Luzon are suspended until April 14.

A work-from-home arrangement will likewise be implemented in the executive branch, except the PNP, AFP, PCG, and health and emergency frontline services, border control and other critical services, which will operate on a "skeletal work force."

Media personnel intending to travel within the quarantine area are required to obtain identification cards from the Presidential Communications Operations Office within 72 hours from the issuance of the memorandum.

The new declaration is a stricter and wider version of a general community quarantine which was earlier imposed in Metro Manila.

Nograles said the enhanced community quarantine may be abbreviated or expanded, depending on the assessment of IATF.

"Puwede siyang mapaikli if the situation warrants pero puwede din humaba depende sa situation."

As of Monday night, there are 142 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, including 12 fatalities.