All areas in the country must be placed under Alert Level 1 before the government could impose a lower COVID-19 risk status classification, a health official said Wednesday.
During a Palace briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the government is looking forward to having all provinces, highly-urbanized cities, and independent component cities under Alert Level 1.
“When we talk about the next level after Alert Level 1, that will be considered, not per area but for the country already,” she added.
This developed as National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon on Wednesday said at least nine provinces and highly urbanized cities (HUCs) were added to the list of areas under Alert Level 1 due to the result of the fourth wave of the national vaccination drive.
During President Rodrigo Duterte’s Talk to the People aired Wednesday morning, Dizon said among these provinces and cities were Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Lucena City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Ormoc City, Tacloban City, and Butuan City.
On Tuesday, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases placed the National Capital Region and 47 other areas under Alert Level 1 from March 16 to March 31.
“They passed our metrics on fully-vaccinated and vaccination of our elderly. We have now a total of 64 cities and provinces throughout the country that are already at Alert Level 1,” Dizon said.
“We are trying to push all the other provinces and cities to really achieve these levels of vaccination so that they can also deescalate to Alert Level 1 at the soonest possible time. Hopefully, within the month of March so that they can all help the economy move forward,” he added.
In other developments:
• The Omicron sub-variant affecting Hong Kong might find its way into the Philippines, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Wednesday, when the President asked about the possibility the BA.2.2 sub-variant will “visit” the country.
• The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) welcomed the government’s decision to maintain Alert Level 1 in Metro Manila and other areas, but reminded the public to continue wearing masks.
• The Quezon City Regional Trial is set to raffle off a petition stopping the vaccination of children aged five to 11 years old against COVID-19.
• The emergency use authorization (EUA) of COVID-19 vaccines needs to be amended once the government approves a fourth dose or a second booster for the vulnerable, DOH spokesperson Vergeire said on Wednesday.
• The COVID-19 pandemic pushed 4.7 million people in Southeast Asia into extreme poverty in 2021, as 9.3 million jobs disappeared, compared with a baseline no-COVID scenario, according to a new Asian Development Bank report presented at the Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS).
Vergeire also clarified that Alert Level 0 is “not a formal term and not an official term yet” by the IATF-EID.
Under Alert Level 1, intrazonal and interzonal travel shall be allowed without regard to age and comorbidities.
All establishments, persons, or activities, meanwhile, 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.
Earlier, Secretary Duque said the IATF is studying Alert Level 0 and whether health protocols like wearing of face masks would stay as the threat of COVID-19 continues.
Vergeire noted that discussions on further easing of restrictions and refocusing of resources would start when all areas nationwide are under Alert Level 1.
She said the government would review whether dedicated hospital beds for COVID-19 cases, quarantine facilities in local government units, and testing surveillance are still needed.
Dr. Maricar Limpin, PCP President, said health care workers agreed with the current alert level status, even as most Filipinos act as if the pandemic has ended.
“That is the right move because we all agree that we should remain under Alert Level 1 because we can see the behavior of Filipinos now that it seems like we are already in Alert Level 0,” Limpin said in an interview with Teleradyo.
“I’m hoping if ever, in the near future, that the government places the country under Alert Level 0, we hope we continue to wear face masks. We saw in other countries, when they removed the face mask requirement, COVID-19 cases went up, and it did not just go up, a lot of people also died,” she said.
Limpin said companies should ensure that the workplaces have proper ventilation before requiring employees to go back on-site.
She added it would be better if there is still some distance between desks so as to protect the employees, aside from constantly wearing face masks.
It is also better not to eat together, or to move farther from each other when eating in the same area.
“I think we can ask the employees to return to the office but we must ensure that they always wear face masks, and there should be some distance between their desks, and they should avoid eating together,” she said.
In Quezon City, the Public Attorney’s Office said the petition would be raffled off to another judge from Branch 96 Judge Primo Sio, who used to work at the Office of the Solicitor General in 2000.
The OSG is the counsel of any government officials facing criminal and civil suits.
“After learning that the judge was once connected with the OSG, we immediately filed the motion for him to inhibit. It was immediately granted,” PAO said.
Former broadcast journalist Dominic Almelor, a father of a seven-year-old boy, and Girlie Samonte, a mother of two boys, earlier filed an extremely urgent petition for certiorari, prohibition, declaratory relief, and injunction against Secretary Duque, Vergeire, and those from the Public Health Services of the DOH.
PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta said she is hoping for a swift action on the petition, raising concern that face-to-face classes are now being allowed for fully vaccinated school children.