The OCTA Research Group said on Wednesday, March 24, it is seeing a "fast" increase in the number of reported coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases outside the National Capital Region (NCR), particularly in Pampanga and Batangas.
"The provinces with the highest number of cases syempre 'yung NCR, and then Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Cebu. 'Yun 'yung mga kasama diyan, except for Cebu which is on downward trend. So 'yung Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan kasama naman sa bubble . (Those are the ones included, except for Cebu which is on a downward trend. So Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan are included in the bubble and cases could be contained," OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said during the Laging Handa public briefing.
"Pero we're also seeing an upward trend sa Pampanga and Batangas and actually mabilis 'yung upward trend nila. (But we're also seeing an upward trend in Pampanga and Batangas and actually their upward trend is fast). For example sa (in) Batangas, the increase is almost 100 percent or I think more than 100 percent compared to the previous week," David pointed out.
He urged the government to closely monitor the increasing cases of COVID-19 in areas that are not included in the NCR Plus bubble.
"So I think this has to be monitored closely especially since they are outside the bubble. It could be problematic if we contain the virus inside the bubble pero may kumakalat din outside the bubble (but there are also cases spreading outside the bubble). So I think we have to look into this," David said.
The two-week NCR Plus bubble is being implemented by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases.
Under this scheme, leisure travel is allowed within NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal but only for a limited number of people as mass gatherings are prohibited.