More time needed to determine if NCR can be placed under COVID-19 Alert Level 3 –DOH

The Department of Health on Saturday said that one week of the new COVID-19 alert level system’s implementation was not enough time to determine whether the government can place the National Capital Region under a less strict quarantine classification.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire pointed this out after Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos, in a radio interview, said he hoped that the NCR would be placed under Alert Level 3 if the COVID-19 reproduction rate in the area further decrease.

“Lahat po iyan ay pinagaaralan natin ngayon we just finished one week of implementing this pilot so kailangan pa po natin ng mas maraming panahon katulad nitong linggong darating para makita natin kung sadya talaga ang pagbaba ng mga kaso e maa-attribute na natin, na talgang nagiging effective ang ating repsonse,” Vergeire said during the Laging Handa briefing.

(We are studying all of these. We just finished the first week of the pilot implementation of this system so we need more time like the upcoming week to determine if the decline in cases is attributable to our response.)

Apart from this, the government must also assess if other factors in the COVID-19 situation have improved, such as vaccinations, the duration of COVID-19 detection to isolation, as well as compliance to the minimum public health standards.

“So lahat ng ito po ay titingnan natin sa pagsasagwa natin ng assessment and we will be informing the public pagkatapos po nito,” she said.

(We look at all of these factors in making an assessment and we will be informing the public after the evaluation.)

Metro Manila was placed under Alert Level 4 last September 16 and the alert system's pilot implementation will run until September 30.

On Saturday, Interior Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said the government was inclined to extend the pilot implementation of the alert level system in the NCR until October.  — DVM, GMA News