NCR to remain under Alert Level 2 until Dec. 15, 2021 —IATF

Metro Manila will remain under Alert Level 2 until December 15, IATF spokesperson Karlo Nograles said Monday.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases extended the alert level for the National Capital Region even as the nationwide daily case tally for Monday, 665 recorded infections, was the lowest since July 2020.

Also placed under Alert Level 2, for the period from December 1 to 15, 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;
• 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;
• 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.

The province of Apayao shall be placed under Alert Level 3.

Under Alert Level 2—the second lowest in the new alert level system—certain establishments and activities are allowed at 50% capacity indoors for fully vaccinated adults (and minors, even if unvaccinated) and 70% capacity outdoors.

READ: What's allowed and what's not allowed under Alert Level 2

Piloted in the National Capital Region, the alert level system for COVID-19 health measures will be scaled up to cover the entire Philippines starting Wednesday. According to the IATF, starting December 1, 2021, alert level assignments shall be determined at every 15th and 30th of the month.

Independent research team OCTA earlier forecast that Metro Manila could be shifted to Alert Level 1 by the start of December if the number of new cases continued to go down, but the discovery of a new COVID-19 variant of concern, Omicron, has put the entire world on heightened alert, with Philippine authorities seeking more samples to increase biosurveillance and mulling bringing back the face shield mandate. — BM, GMA News