Coronavirus lockdown in Philippine capital eased
THE GOVERNMENT has relaxed the lockdown in Manila, the capital and nearby cities amid decreasing coronavirus infections.
Metro Manila would be placed under Alert Level 2 from Feb. 1 to 15, presidential spokesman Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said in a statement on Sunday.
Batanes, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal in Luzon, Biliran and Southern Leyte in the Visayas, and Basilan in Mindanao would also be placed under the same lockdown level, he said.
Businesses in areas under Alert Level 2 are allowed up to 50% indoor capacity for fully vaccinated people and 70% capacity for outdoor venues.
Mr. Nograles said 40 other areas in Luzon, 21 in the Visayas and 29 in Mindanao would be placed under Alert Level 3.
Health authorities last week said Metro Manila was at moderate risk from the coronavirus.
The capital region was under Alert Level 2 before the country faced a fresh surge in infections spurred by the highly mutated Omicron variant.
The OCTA Research Group from the University of the Philippines said Metro Manila might be classified as low risk within two weeks if infections continue to decline.
Metro Manila’s average daily attack rate fell to 23.01 from 31.13 on Jan. 27, OCTA Research fellow Fredegusto P. David tweeted.
He said the region’s coronavirus reproduction number fell to 0.47 on Jan. 29 from 0.5. Still, Metro Manila’s positivity rate remained “very high” at 20% from 21%.
Aside from the capital region, Mr. David said Cavite and Rizal were also at moderate risk, though their positivity rates are still very high at 20%. He added that Batangas, Laguna and Quezon were still at high risk.
The Health department was set to release coronavirus statistics at 9 p.m. on Sunday, citing technical issues.
The Philippines on Saturday posted 17,382 cases — the lowest since Jan. 6 when the country logged 17,220 infections — bringing the total to 3.53 million.
“Cases are decreasing in Calabarzon and Central Luzon, and the rest of the Philippines as a whole,” Mr. David tweeted.
He said Metro Manila and Cebu province had the most coronavirus cases on Jan. 29 with 3,625 and 1,036, respectively.
“The uptick in the National Capital Region yesterday (Jan. 29) was a surprise and not really supported by other indicators,” Mr. David said.
The government last week relaxed international travel restrictions and suspended its COVID-19 country risk classifications, allowing the entry of fully vaccinated tourists from most countries starting next month.
The government would scrap the green-yellow-red list system starting Feb. 1, Mr. Nograles told a televised news briefing on Friday. The system classifies countries and territories based on their virus risk levels.
The presidential palace said fully vaccinated people must present a negative RT-PCR test within 48 hours before departure from the country of origin starting Feb. 1. They would no longer have to undergo quarantine upon arrival.
But they must self-monitor for coronavirus symptoms for seven days and report to the local government of destination if needed.
Mr. Nograles said unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travelers whose vaccination status cannot be validated must present a negative RT-PCR test.
They must also undergo quarantine at a government-approved facility until the release of their negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day. They must be home quarantined until the 14th day.
The palace official said children below 12 years old who cannot be vaccinated should follow the quarantine protocol applied to the guardians traveling with them.
Mr. Nograles also said the Philippines would now allow the entry of fully vaccinated nationals of non-visa countries starting Feb. 10.
The government last month suspended a plan to welcome back foreign tourists amid a fresh surge in infections spurred by the highly mutated Omicron variant.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire has said it does not make sense anymore to restrict international travel when the country has high transmission rates.
She said safeguards are in place to contain the virus, adding that infections among returning migrant Filipinos remained low. — KATA
