MANILA, Philippines – Metro Manila will return to the stricter Alert Level 3 from January 3 to 15, 2022, following the spike of COVID-19 cases and the high possibility of the local transmission of the highly infectious omicron variant.
Palace spokesman Karlo Nograles in a press briefing in Davao City on Friday night said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) made the decision as they projected the cases to further increase in the coming days.
“Nakita naman natin sa mga nakaraang araw na nag-increase exponentially ang mga kaso dahil sa holiday activities kung saan tumaas ang movement ng mga tao, at bumaba ang compliance sa Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS),” Nograles said.
“Isa rin sa dahilan ang detection ng local cases ng omicron variant," he added.
Prior to the announcement, NCR was supposed to stay under Alert Level 2 until mid-January.
Under Alert Level 3, the following activities are not allowed:
The following are allowed at 30% indoor capacity but only for fully vaccinated individuals:
After a whole month of reporting less than 1,000 cases, the country logged 1,623 new cases on Thursday.
On Friday, the numbers nearly doubled as the Department of Health reported 2,961 new infections.
— The Summit Express
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| Shoppers flock at Divisoria in Manila. Photo Credit: ABS-CBN News |
Palace spokesman Karlo Nograles in a press briefing in Davao City on Friday night said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) made the decision as they projected the cases to further increase in the coming days.
“Nakita naman natin sa mga nakaraang araw na nag-increase exponentially ang mga kaso dahil sa holiday activities kung saan tumaas ang movement ng mga tao, at bumaba ang compliance sa Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS),” Nograles said.
“Isa rin sa dahilan ang detection ng local cases ng omicron variant," he added.
Prior to the announcement, NCR was supposed to stay under Alert Level 2 until mid-January.
Under Alert Level 3, the following activities are not allowed:
- Face-to-face classes
- Contact sports
- Fun fairs/peryas
- Live voice/wind instrument performances
- Cinemas will still be allowed to operate at 30% indoor capacity and 50% outdoor capacity
The following are allowed at 30% indoor capacity but only for fully vaccinated individuals:
- Amusement parks
- Recreational venues
- Religious gatherings
- Licensure exams
- Dine-in services
- Personal care services
- Fitness studios, non-contact sports
- Film, music, TV production
After a whole month of reporting less than 1,000 cases, the country logged 1,623 new cases on Thursday.
On Friday, the numbers nearly doubled as the Department of Health reported 2,961 new infections.
— The Summit Express
