Despite the declining number of new novel coronavirus disease cases (Covid-19) in previous weeks, the government decided to defer further placing any area in the country under the Alert Level 1, the classification with the most relaxed quarantine restrictions.
In a brief statement issued last Monday, Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo B. Nograles said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) opted to retain most of the areas in the country under Alert Level 2 classification, including the National Capital Region.
Other areas, which were placed under Alert Level 2 are: Cordillera Administrative Region: Benguet, Abra, Kalinga, Baguio City, Mountain Province, and Ifugao; Region I: Dagupan City, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, La Union, and Pangasinan; Region II: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and City of Santiago; Region III: Angeles City, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Zambales, and Tarlac; Region IV-A: Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, and Lucena City; Region IV-B: Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa City, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan; Region V: Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Naga City.
For the Visayas, the following areas were also placed under Alert Level 2: Region VI: Aklan, Antique, Bacolod City, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Iloilo City, and Negros Occidental; Region VII: Bohol, Cebu, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor; Region VIII: Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, Tacloban City, and Western Samar.
Also placed under Alert Level 2 are the following areas in Mindanao: Region IX: City of Isabela, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay; Region X: Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental; Region XI: Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental; Region XII: General Santos City, North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat; Region XIII (Caraga) Butuan City, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Agusan del Norte; and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Basilan, Cotabato City, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao.
Under Alert Level 2, almost all activities and establishments operations are allowed, but some still need to comply with capacity restrictions.
Nograles said only the province of Apayao was placed under Alert Level 3.
“This Alert Level shall take effect from December 1, 2021 to December 15, 2021,” Nograles said.
The new Alert Level classification is based on the recommendation of the sub-Technical Working Group on Data Analytics.
Last Monday, the Department of Health (DOH) logged only 655 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest since June last year.
The government, however, is wary of the potential influx in Covid-19 cases in case the Omicron variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters the country.
The World Health Organization (WHO) already declared the Omicron, which was first detected in South Africa, as a variant of concern since it is more infectious compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants, which causes novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19), due to its numerous mutations.
Image courtesy of Nonoy Lacza/BM
