THE government decided to forgo the nationwide rollout of the Alert Level System (ALS), which is currently being piloted in Metro Manila in the next two weeks.
This as the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) decided in a resolution last Thursday to further relax the quarantine standards in the ALS, particularly for its Alert Level 4.
In a statement, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque decided to extend the pilot implementation of the ALS in the National Capital Region (NCR), under alert level 4, until October 15, 2021.
The pilot of the ALS was supposed to have ended on Sept. 30, 2021.
During the extended pilot, Roque said the IATF decided to increase from 10 percent to 20 percent the allowed venue capacity for indoor dine-in services, in-person religious services, and personal care services in areas under Alert Level 4 on the condition all of those who will be participating in these activities are fully vaccinated individuals.
The venue capacity for such activities could be further increased to 30 percent if an establishment has Safety Seal Certification (SSC) issued by the concerned government agency.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said for outdoor dining, the venue capacity remains at 30 percent. but could be increased to 40 percent if the concerned establishment has a SSC.
New list
With the ALS enforcement still limited to NCR, Roque said the following community quarantine classification will take effect for other parts of the country starting on Friday.
He said the following areas will be under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from October 1-15, 2021 are Apayao, Kalinga, Batanes, Bataan, Bulacan, Cavite, Lucena City, Rizal, Laguna, Naga City, and Iloilo Province.
The General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions will take effect in the following areas from October 1-31, 2021: Abra, Baguio City, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, City of Santiago, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Quezon, Batangas, Bacolod City, Capiz, Iloilo City, Lapu-Lapu City, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Butuan City, and Surigao del Sur.
“Davao de Oro will also be under GCQ with heightened restrictions but only from October 1-15, 2021,” Roque said.
Meanwhile, the GCQ areas from October 1-31, 2021 will include Ilocos Norte, Dagupan City, Benguet, Ifugao, Tarlac, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa, Albay, and Camarines Norte for Luzon. For the Visayas: Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Cebu City, Cebu Province, Mandaue City, Siquijor, and Tacloban City.
In Mindanao, the GCQ areas are Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City, Misamis Occidental, Iligan City, Davao City, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Cotabato City, and Lanao del Sur.
“The rest of the Philippines will be under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ),” Roque said.
Image courtesy of Nonoy Lacza/BM
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