The province of Laguna will be under COVID-19 Alert Level 3 from Jan. 7-15, Malacañang said Wednesday as COVID-19 cases rise across the country.
Laguna will join neighboring provinces Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan in the third-highest level of pandemic restrictions which was first implemented in Metro Manila this year.
The escalation of alert levels in such areas should be taken as a signal to be "extra careful," Cabinet Sec. Karlo Nograles told reporters on Wednesday.
The Philippines is battling a renewed surge in infections, reporting 10,775 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest ever for 2022 and double the tally from the previous day.
Health authorities have warned of a "high possibility" of local transmission of the more contagious Omicron variant and an "exponential rise" in COVID-19 cases.
MORE ON OMICRON:
Is Herd Immunity in Sight as Omicron Spreads and Virus Evolves?
Omicron Infection Could Protect Against Delta, Study Says
