MANILA — Some areas will go back to a stricter pandemic lockdown, Malacañang said Wednesday as cases of the novel coronavirus continued to shoot up.

Several areas will return to general community quarantine or GCQ from modified GCQ, said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, hours ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement of fresh lockdown classifications.

Four cities and 1 province earlier appealed their lockdown level, said Roque. He did not say whether or not these are the areas that would go back to GCQ.

"But by and large, the Philippines will be under MGCQ, overwhelming," he told ANC. "I guess you can say we have reigned in the COVID threat to the extent that can open up to 75 percent of the economy."

The government "in the coming few days... might even consider declaring some areas under the new normal," he said.

Roque in the same interview said relaxing the lockdown of 12 million people in Metro Manila was "out of the question."

The health department on Tuesday reported 634 additional COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 57,545.

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