Metro Manila remains as the hardest-hit area in the country by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, a Cabinet official said after President Rodrigo Duterte extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the capital region and several provinces.

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the government’s national policy against the pandemic, said Covid-19 cases were largely concentrated in Metro Manila because of its large population and high density.