DOH records 9,475 new COVID-19 cases as 'NCR Plus' readies for new ECQ

MANILA, Philippines — Health officials on Sunday reported 9,475 new coronavirus cases, ahead of Greater Manila Area's return to Enhanced Community Quarantine.

The development on March 28 pushes the country's overall count to 721,892. This is also the third straight day that the Philippines saw more than 9,000 additional COVID-19 infections.

• Active cases: 105,568, or 14.6% of the total
• Recoveries: 22,000, bringing the number to 603,154
• Deaths: 11, or now 13,170 in total

What's new today?

• It's the day before 'NCR Plus' returns to ECQ, initially for a week. While some industries will see a halt in operations in some industries, government has yet to announce details on financial aid for affected workers.


• In total, the Philippines saw an additional 58,233 coronavirus cases from March 22 to 28. Active cases also grew by 37,152 but has since decreased to 105,568 on Sunday.
   
• The Health Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 urged government to rethink its pandemic response, which has long been criticized as militaristic. It said too that officials should take the week-long restriction to carry out systemic changes.
   
• "Staycations" within NCR Plus are suspended in light of the area's scaling back to ECQ. The tourism department said it was assured that guests would be allowed to rebook without penalty. — Christian Deiparine

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