MANILA - The Philippine is eyeing to place Metro Manila and nearby areas under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) next week following the extension of strict lockdown until April 11, Malacañang said Sunday.

President Rodrigo Duterte had extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in NCR Plus, composed of the capital region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal, to curb the continuous rise of COVID-19 cases.

• IATF extends toughest lockdown level in NCR Plus for another week 'at least'

"I don’t think ECQ for a third week is actually a possibility. Based on the model of DOH, what they recommended was 2 weeks of ECQ--another week of bubble--to be followed by a week of MECQ and if we implement the minimum health protocols... we expect the numbers to go down by around 4,000 a day by May 15," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told ANC's Headstart.

"So that’s the model we’re pursuing, 2 weeks of ECQ and another week of MECQ."

• Robredo tells govt to set goals after extension of NCR Plus strict lockdown

The Philippines on Easter Sunday tallied 11,028 new cases of COVID-19, bringing its total virus infections to 795,051.

The country's strict lockdown, one of the longest worldwide, resulted in a -9.5 percent growth last year, its first contraction since 1998's 0.5 percent decline due to the Asian financial crisis.

• PH posts worst GDP contraction since World War 2 with -9.5 pct growth rate in 2020

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv