MANILA, Philippines (Updated 8:27 p.m.) — The Philippines recorded two new infections, raising the domestic tally of cases to 142 on Monday, as the government implemented far-reaching measures to arrest the spread of the pandemic.
The Department of Health also reported the recovery of a confirmed case, bringing the number of recovered patients in the country to three.
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A 46-year-old male from Pasay City, identified as Patient 14, was discharged from Makati Medical Center after testing negative twice for COVID-19.
DOH said the Filipino male had no travel history and had no known exposure to confirmed cases.
Earlier, two Chinese tourists—identified as Patient 1 and Patient 2—fully recovered from the illness.
In total, 12 people have died from COVID-19 in the country.
Elderly people and those with underlying medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic lung disease and immunosuppression are at higher risk of contracting the disease.
Enhanced community quarantine
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday declared an “enhanced community quarantine” over the entire Luzon, implementing a strict home quarantine for every household and suspending transportation.
The newest measure also constitutes the “heightened presence of uniformed personnel to enforce quarantine procedures” while “provision for food and essential health services shall be regulated.”
Cities in Metro Manila and areas outside the capital region will enforce nighttime curfews beginning Monday night.
Globally, there have been more than 169,000 infections and over 6,500 confirmed deaths from the virus that originated in central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.