President Rodrigo Duterte has cancelled the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes under selected areas under the modified general community quarantine due to the threat of a new strain of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) monitored in the United Kingdom.

''I am cancelling the order I gave a few weeks ago to (Education) Secretary Leonor Briones to suspend everything, all activities of children, especially face-to-face classes,'' said Duterte in a televised meeting with medical experts Saturday.

The Department of Education is eyeing to conduct the dry-run for the physical classes on January 11 to 23 next year.

''I will not allow face-to-face classes of children until we are through with this. We have to know the nature of the germ that we are confronting... I cannot take the risk of allowing the children. That would be a disaster,'' said Duterte. DMS