Malacañang on Friday announced that Metro Manila would remain under Alert Level (AL) 3 until next month despite the decreasing number Covid-19 cases detected in the region.
Under the expanded implementation of the pilot test of the Alert Level System (ALS), the National Capital Region will retain its current alert level (AL) from November 1 to November 14, 2021.
At a virtual news briefing on Friday, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) decided to delay issuing a lower alert level in NCR to make sure that an increased mobility of the public won’t cause a spike in Covid-19 infections.
This after the IATF approved the recommendation of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to start the gradual increase in passenger capacity of public-utility vehicles (PUV).
“This [AL 3] will only be for the next two weeks. If the case will not increase despite the increased mobility with 85 percent of the population in NCR already vaccinated, we will lower it to Alert Level 2,” Roque said.
In a related development, Roque said the IATF also decided to expand the pilot implementation of the ALS to include Regions 3, 6, and 10.
Starting on Monday, Aurora, Bacolod City, Negros Oriental, and Davao Occidental shall be placed under AL 4.
Meanwhile, areas that will be placed under AL 3 include Bataan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Iloilo City, Siquijor, Lanao del Norte, Davao City, and Davao del Norte, with Baguio City, as an “area for special monitoring.”
AL 2 locations include Angeles City, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Tarlac, Batangas, Quezon Province, Lucena City, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Cebu Province, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Iligan City, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
Roque said that for areas still not covered by ALS, the following community quarantine classifications would be in effect:
Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ): Mountain Province, Catanduanes, and Zamboanga City (November 1 to 15, 2021).
General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with restrictions from November 1 to 30: Abra, Cagayan, Isabela, City of Santiago, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino.
GCQ from November 1 to 31: Ifugao, Benguet, Apayao, Kalinga, Ilocos Sur, Dagupan City, Batanes, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Albay, Naga City, Camarines Norte, Tacloban City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, General Santos City, Sarangani, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Butuan City, Dinagat Islands, Cotabato City, and Lanao del Sur.
“All other areas not mentioned shall be placed under modified general community quarantine for the whole month of November 2021,” Roque said.