MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said Metro Manila and surrounding Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal provinces—which government calls NCR Plus—would stay under general community quarantine (GCQ) with varying degrees of restrictions, until the end of June.

At the same time, the President said 21 areas would be under modified enhanced community quarantine from June 16 to 30, the second toughest lockdown level.

Duterte said the capital region and Bulacan will be under GCQ "with some restrictions" from June 16 to 30.

Meanwhile, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite will also be under GCQ, but "with heightened restrictions," during the same period, he said in a briefing.

Home to about 24 million people, NCR Plus was previously under GCQ "with restrictions".

Looser quarantine levels allow businesses to operate at higher capacity.

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.

QUARANTINE IN REST OF PH

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Duterte said the following areas will be under MECQ from June 16 to 30.

• Region 2
  -Santiago City
  -Cagayan
• Cordillera Administrative Region
  -Apayao
  -Ifugao
• Region 3
  -Bataan
• Region 4-A
  -Lucena City
• Region 4-B
  -Puerto Princesa City
• Region 5
  -Naga City
• Region 6
  -Iloilo City-
  -Iloilo
• Regio 7
  -Negros Oriental
• Region 9
  -Zamboanga City
  -Zamboanga Sibugay
  -Zamboanga Del Sur
  -Zamboanga Del note
• Region 10
  -Cagayan De oro City
• Region 11
  -Davao City
• Caraga
  -Butuan City
  -Agusan Del Sur
  -Dinagat Islands
  -Surigao del Sur

Meanwhile, the following areas will also be under GCQ, the second loosest quarantine level, said Duterte.

• Cordillera
  -Baguio City
  -Kalinga
  -Mountain Province
  -Abra
  -Benguet
• Region 2
  -Isabela
  -Nueva Vizcaya
  -Quirino
• Region 4-A
  -Batangas
  -Quezon
• Region 10
  -Iligan City
• Region 11
  -Davao Del Norte
• Region 12
  -General Santos City
  -Sultan Kudarat
  -Sarangani
  -Cotabato
  -South Cotabato
• Bangsamoro
  -Lanao Del Sur
  -Cotabato City

The rest of the Philippines will be under the least stringent quarantine level, modified GCQ, also in the second half of June, said the President.

The Philippines, which has the second-highest COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, has tallied 1.322 million coronavirus infections.

Active cases in the country are at 59,096, while deaths reached 22,845 as of June 14, according to the health department.

• COVID-19 deaths in Philippines top 17,000

The Philippines has so far been able to administer at 6.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Tuesday.

The government aims to vaccinate at least 58 million of its 108 million population to achieve herd immunity and safely reopen the economy.

• Philippines: COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

— With a report from Reuters