(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines’ economic planning agency on Monday said it prefers smaller, targeted restrictions over a wider lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, as infections reach records.

“Reverting back to a stricter and blanket community quarantine is no longer an option,” Economic Planning Secretary Karl Chua said in a statement. “Careful and calibrated” moves are needed to preserve jobs, he said.

The statement comes as the nation reported 8,019 Covid-19 cases on Monday, its highest daily case count, bringing the total to more than 670,000. Previous records were reached last Friday and Saturday.

The Philippines Has Become Southeast Asia’s Covid Hotspot: Chart

The government has limited travel into and out of the capital and surrounding regions -- the Southeast Asian nation’s main economic engines -- for about two weeks, but movement within the area will remain unimpeded. The pandemic has throttled the country’s economy, which is tipped to remain in recession this quarter.

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