Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria 'Joey' Concepcion 3rd on Wednesday said placing Metro Manila under a two-week lockdown this month was needed to save lives and protect earnings in the fourth quarter amid the continuing threat of the Delta variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

In a virtual town hall meeting, Concepcion maintained that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to be enforced in Metro Manila from Aug. 6 to 20, 2021 was be the key to contain the spread of the coronavirus cases driven by the Delta strain.