DAVAO CITY - The Davao Region will be under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) beginning Saturday, April 4, to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio confirmed.

Duterte-Carpio, chairman of the region's Task Force COVID-19, said in an interview Thursday that the preventive measure will start at 9 p.m.

All employees are required to work from home except for personnel and workers of health institutions, the police, the military, security agencies, sanitation, and disaster agencies.

Workers of food industry firms -- like food manufacturing, food processing, food distribution and food packaging establishments -- are also allowed to continue operations.

Those who are allowed to go to work should show required identification documents.

Suspension of public mass transportation and temporary closure of non-essential establishments will be imposed during the enhanced quarantine in the region.

Provincial governments will also prohibit minors, pregnant women and senior citizens from traveling within the region, except for emergency purposes.

Food and medicine pass will be given to residents who need to go out to buy essential supplies.

Curfew hours will also be implemented from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Residents are not allowed to sell, buy or consume any kind of liquor from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Duterte-Carpio assured residents there is no cause for panic despite the implementation of the enhanced quarantine.

"There is no reason to be afraid of the ECQ since there's still enough food for us. You can still go out to buy food, but you need to be afraid of the COVID-19 virus," she said in vernacular, adding distribution of relief goods are ongoing.

The mass quarantine on the region will be implemented until further notice.

The health department earlier said there are 61 confirmed cases in Davao Region, 49 of whom are from Davao City.

President Rodrigo Duterte, Duterte-Carpio's father, earlier placed the northern island of Luzon under the enhanced quarantine after COVID-19 cases in the region rapidly rose early March.