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Thursday, March 28, 2024

MMDA says NCR ready for Alert Level 1

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The local government units in the National Capital Region are ready to shift to Alert Level 1, an official of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said Tuesday.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, MMDA officer-in-charge and general manager Romando Artes said the NCR has been successful in implementing COVID-19 response programs.

“If we are talking about the preparation of the LGUs, all of them are ready. NCR is number 1 in implementing the government’s pandemic response. If we are talking about preparation, Metro Manila is ready for Alert Level 1,” Artes said.

Also on Tuesday, the independent OCTA Research Group said Metro Manila could shift to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 by March, noting that its positivity rate of 4.9 percent was already at the target range set by the World Health Organization of under 5 percent.

OCTA Research fellow Guido David said during a televised briefing:

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“Even the ICU (intensive care unit) utilization is low. We believe that we are there now. Maybe by next week, by March 1, we could lower it to Alert Level 1.”

In Metro Manila, 26 percent of ICU beds, 24 percent of isolation beds,26 percent of ward beds, and 19 percent of ventilators, are in use, according to the Department of Health.

In a separate interview on ANC, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said he was in favor of shifting the NCR to Alert Level 1 starting March 1.

He said the Metro Manila Council, composed of 17 mayors, would meet Tuesday evening to discuss the possible shift to Alert Level 1.

Earlier, Artes said the mayors would look into the data from the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force in making the recommendation.

He added they would consider the risk classification, health care utilization rate, and trend of COVID-19 cases.

Under Alert Level 1, intrazonal and interzonal travel shall be allowed without regard to age and comorbidities. All establishments, persons, or activities are allowed to operate, work, or be undertaken at full on-site or venue/seating capacity provided it is consistent with minimum public health standards.

There are more than 13.5 million people in the NCR and accounts for a third of the country’s gross domestic product.

Of the 1,427 new COVID-19 cases reported by the Department of Health on Monday, 332 were from Metro Manila, David said.

David said the public is urged to follow minimum public health standards as a spike in virus cases may still occur.

“A spike in cases is really possible if the public doesn’t follow safety protocols especially in campaign rallies,” he said.

Campaign rallies should be held outdoors or in a well-ventilated area if indoors, David said.

“Let’s minimize physical contact. I hope those who attend campaign rallies are vaccinated and have booster shots,” he said.

“It’s possible we can’t avoid a minor outbreak. But we don’t see any threat of resurgence yet like what happened in December,” David added.

The country saw a surge in new infections beginning late December until January due to the Omicron variant.

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