The province of the Bataan has been placed on hard lockdown or enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the alarming increase of Covid-19 cases.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte decided to place Bataan under ECQ upon the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the ECQ in Bataan will start today, Sunday, August 8, and last until Aug. 22, 2021.
He said Bataan was initially placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) until August 15, 2021.
Last week, Bataan Governor Albert Garcia said he and the other concerned local officials asked the IATF to place their province under ECQ amid the spike in the number of infections in their jurisdictions.
As of Friday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 160 additional news Covid-19 cases in the province.
This brings the total number of active cases in Bataan to 1,340.
The 12 healthcare facilities in Bataan are currently struggling with the rising infected patients since 70.2 percent or 285 of their 406 hospital beds are already occupied.