Laguna has been placed again under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the strictest form of community quarantine, until August 20, Malacañang announced on Saturday.

The decision to implement ECQ in Laguna was reached upon the recommendation of the Department of the Interior and Local Government and after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF-EID) consultation with the province’s local government, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

“The Inter-Agency Task Force has extended the Enhanced Community Quarantine of Laguna until August 20, 2021,” Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson, said in a press statement.

Laguna was initially placed under ECQ until August 15.

However, Roque announced Friday that the quarantine classification in the province de-escalated to modified ECQ (MECQ) from Aug. 16 to 31.

Roque, in his latest statement, said the IATF-EID has decided to impose ECQ in Laguna anew to curb the further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and its other variants.

He said Executive Order 112, inked by President Rodrigo Duterte in April this year, gives the IATF-EID an authority to impose, lift, or extend a community quarantine in provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities.

“This latest ECQ re-classification was made to maximize its effects, slow down the surge of Covid-19 cases, further stop the spread of variants and improve health system capacity to protect more lives in the aforesaid area,” he said.

Hospitals in Laguna were overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients after the province experienced a resurgence of the coronavirus.

Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez earlier said Covid-19 cases in the province have already reached the “critical” level. (PNA)