Bulacan Governor Daniel R. Fernando has appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to place the province under a modified general community quarantine status as he noted the declining coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the province.

According to the IATF, Bulacan will still be under the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status from October 16 to 31.

The governor said many of his province mates are begging for the opening of their businesses that have been severely affected by the MECQ restrictions.

“Based on the updated data from the Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of Provincial Health Office-Public Health, Bulacan’s recovery rate as of Oct. 13, 2021 is at 97 percent or 77,862 recovered Covid-19 cases out of 80,096 confirmed cases,” Fernando said in an interview during an accelerated vaccine rollout program in Barangay Matungao on Thursday.

He also said from the 360 to 405 daily average number of Covid-19 cases from August to September, it has dropped by 133 or 64 percent this October.

“I am confident that the lowest reported case last December 2020 which was more than 500 cases, will be surpassed. By December, hopefully, the Covid-19 cases in Bulacan will be on a flatline so that we would be happy this coming Christmas,” Fernando said.

Provincial Task Force Response Cluster head Dr. Hjordis Marushka Celis said as of Wednesday, there were 895 active Covid-19 cases in Bulacan of whom 143 are confined in hospitals, 257 are in the quarantine facilities and 495 are on home isolation.