MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday night that Metro Manila and 9 other areas will stay under general community quarantine (GCQ), the third strictest of 4 lockdown levels, until January 31, 2021.

This aims to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which experts said could surge after the holiday gatherings.

The following areas will be under GCQ until January 31, Duterte said in his weekly address about the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Metro Manila
• Isabela
• Santiago City
• Batangas
• Iloilo
• Tacloban City
• Lanao del Sur
• Iligan City
• Davao City
• Davao del Norte

Duterte, however, said the new quarantine classifications may still change, subject to appeals by their respective local government units.

The rest of the country will be under modified GCQ, which has the least restrictive measures in the country's 4-level lockdown system.

Metro Manila, which accounts for about a third of the country's gross domestic product, has been under GCQ since August, with stricter lockdowns enforced in earlier months as COVID-19 infections rose.

The Philippines has tallied more than 470,000 coronavirus infections, as of Monday. The unabated first wave of infections has prevented the economy from fully reopening.

• COVID-19 cases in PH breach 431,000 with 1,773 new infections
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Experts from the OCTA Research Groups earlier said it was "very possible" for Metro Manila to tally 4,000 new COVID-19 cases per day after Christmas if the public failed to follow health protocols through the holidays.

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Video courtesy of PTV