MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday approved the extension of the second strictest quarantine level in Metro Manila and nearby Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal provinces, Malacañang said until the middle of May.

Duterte said the NCR Plus area will stay under MECQ until May 14.

The President also placed Santiago City, Quirino and Abra province under MECQ.

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Duterte added that the following areas would be under general community quarantine.

• Apayao
• Baguio City
• Benget
• Ifugao
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Cagayan
• Isabela
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Batangas
• Quezon
• Tacloban
• Iligan
• Davao City
• Lanao del Sur

The rest of the country is under the loosest modified GCQ, said Duterte.

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Duterte is expected to announce #COVID19quarantine classifications in the country for the month of May.

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— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) April 28, 2021

"This new community quarantine classification is subject to the appeals of the local government units," Roque said.

The Philippines, which has the second-highest COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, reported 6,895 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, pushing its total tally of cases to 1,020,495.

Active cases in the country hit 67,769, while deaths reached 17,031, according to the health department.

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Intensive care capacity in NCR hospitals was at the moderate risk level, with about 62 percent of beds utilized.

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The congested capital region, an urban sprawl of 16 cities and a municipality, account for about two-thirds of the country's gross domestic product.

Extended coronavirus curbs will continue to hurt the Philippines' economy, which posted a record 9.6 percent slump last year.

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The Philippines has so far been able to administer about 1.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Tuesday.

The government aims to vaccinate 70 million of its 108 million population to achieve herd immunity and safely reopen the economy.

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More details to follow.

— With a report from Reuters