The National Inter-Agency Task Force is implementing, starting today, the alert level system (ALS) in several provinces until the end of the month.
Piloted in Metro Manila, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the ALS is being expanded to other provinces due to the drop in COVID-19 cases and the improvement in the healthcare utilization rate.
Under Alert Level 4 are the provinces of Negros Oriental in Region 7 and Davao Occidental in Region 11. Starting today until the end of the month, indoor dine-in services and fitness studios, including gyms, may operate at a 10 percent venue capacity while outdoor dine-in services and fitness studios and gyms will be allowed up to 30 percent of the venue capacity.
Placed under Alert Level 3 are the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal in Region 4-A; Siquijor in Region 7; Davao City and Davao del Norte in Region 11. Venue capacity allowed for these areas is 30 percent for in-door and 50 percent for outdoor.
Those in Alert Level 2 are the provinces of Batangas and Quezon, and Lucena City in Region 4-A; Bohol, Cebu City, Lapu-lapu City, Mandaue City, Cebu province in Region 7; and Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental in Region 11. Venue capacity in these areas is 50 to 70 percent.
For the rest of the country, the assigned community quarantine will still be observed. Meaning, Negros Occidental, despite the Level 3 risk-classification of the Department of Health – Western Visayas last week, remains under general community quarantine and will have to observe the protocols prescribed by the NIATF. Bacolod City is also under GCQ with heightened restrictions.
We can only hope that with the expanded alert level system, the government can finally strike a balance between protecting the people and saving our sinking economy.
The easing of restrictions with the COVID variants still raging in some areas is risky. But then, it is a risk that the government is willing to take for reasons known only to the NIATF. – NND
