The government is taking the short yet sharp "circuit-breaker" approach to stem the rise in coronavirus cases in Metro Manila and other areas under general community quarantine (GCQ).

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced Thursday the government decided to tighten six quarantine measures in GCQ areas until April 4 and urged the public to cooperate with authorities. 

The measures include:  temporary closure of cinemas, game arcades, and limited tourist attractions; limiting religious gatherings and essential business gatherings to 30 percent venue capacity; and, lowering dine-in restaurant operations to 50 percent venue capacity.  The decision was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases during a meeting Thursday March 18.

"Kabahagi po iyan iyong tinatawag na circuit breaker approach (This is part of what we call the circuit breaker approach)," Roque said over government television Friday, March 19.

A circuit breaker generally refers to the implementation of a set of strict restrictions to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission and bring the infection rate down in a limited period of time. The approach is named after a safety device that stops the electric current to prevent any overload or short circuit.

In tightening the movement curbs in GCQ areas, Roque clarified the government was not applying the "circuit breaker lockdown" similar to the strategy applied by neighboring Singapore.

Back in April 2020, Singapore implemented a drastic circuit breaker program by closing down schools and most workplaces, except those engaged in essential services, in a bid to curb community transmission. The restrictions were eased by June but precautions such as mask wearing, physical distancing, and limits on gatherings were maintained.

"There is no lockdown, which is the notion of a circuit breaker as applied in Singapore," Roque said in a later televised press briefing about the government's latest restriction in GCQ areas.

"Pero binawi po natin iyong mga binuksan nating mga industriya, kung hindi po ako nagkakamali last February 11, at nilimitahan na rin natin ang mga mass gathering to 30 percent again, except for restaurants na 50 percent (But we recalled the industries we reopened last Feb. 11. We have limited mass gatherings to 30 percent (venue capacity) again, except for restaurants, which will limited to 50 percent)," he said. 

Roque said the government has also limited the number of inbound passengers to 1,500 per day at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The task force in charge of addressing the pandemic earlier revised an earlier memorandum on the entry restrictions of travelers in the country. The government now allows all Filipino citizens to return to the country.

Foreigners are temporarily prohibited from entering the country except for diplomats, foreigners involved in medical repatriation, foreign seafarers under the "green lanes" program for crew change, foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens, and those involving in emergency and humanitarian cases.

Roque also dispelled speculations that the GCQ restrictions appeared to an escalation to the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in disguise.

“Sinusubukan po nating ipababa talaga ang numero ng COVID cases nang hindi po nagsasarado nang malawakan ang ating ekonomiya (We are trying to bring down the COVID cases without closing down the larger economy),” he said.

"So, ang inaasahan po natin ay ang kooperasyon ng lahat at sa pamamagitan nitong latest decision ng IATF, eh baka naman po mapababa natin (We expect the cooperation of the public and with the latest IATF decision, we might just bring down the cases). Dahil alam po natin na as a last resort, pupuwede tayong mag-increase ng quarantine classification pero napakadami na nga pong nagugutom kaya kinakailangan eh buksan natin hanggang maaari ang ating ekonomiya (Because we know that we can increase the quarantine classification as a last resort but many people are hungry so we need to open the economy as much as possible),” he added.

The government's latest restrictions come after the country's cases soared to 640,984 cases with 12,887 deaths as of March 18.