The Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 on Thursday extended the pilot implementation of the Alert Level System in Metro Manila by two weeks to October 15, IATF and Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said.
This was aligned with the call of medical groups to extend Alert Level 4 in the National Capital Region by another fortnight due to their concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, even as business leaders batted for the reopening of more businesses and a relaxing of quarantine restrictions.
The IATF also approved the recommendation to expand by an additional 10 percent the allowable indoor capacities of dine-in services, in-person religious services, and personal care services in areas under Alert Level 4 for fully vaccinated individuals.
The task force also approved the reopening of fitness studios and gyms at a limited 20-percent capacity for fully vaccinated individuals, provided that all gym workers should also be fully vaccinated.
Also approved by the IATF is the pilot rollout of the vaccination of children ages 12 to 17 years old with vaccines granted Emergency Use Authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.
The inoculations will begin also on October 15 under a phased approach “as may be determined by the National Vaccination Operations Center.”
Following the directives of President Rodrigo Duterte, the IATF also affirmed the opening of the national vaccination program to the general population nationwide “upon the determination of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and its Vaccine Cluster.”
Meanwhile, placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from October 1 to 15 are Apayao, Kalinga, Batanes, Bataan, Bulacan, Cavite, Lucena City, Rizal, Laguna, Naga City, and Iloilo Province.
Areas placed under General Community Quarantine with heightened restrictions from October 1 to 31 are Abra, Baguio City, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, City of Santiago, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Quezon, Batangas, Bacolod City, Capiz, Iloilo City, Lapu-Lapu City, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Butuan City and Surigao del Sur.
Davao de Oro will also be under GCQ with heightened restrictions but only from October 1 to 15.
Under “regular” GCQ from October 1 to 31 are Ilocos Norte, Dagupan City, Benguet, Ifugao, Tarlac, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa City, Albay and Camarines Norte for Luzon.
For Visayas, GCQ areas are Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Cebu City, Cebu Province, Mandaue City, Siquijor and Tacloban City.
In Mindanao, GCQ areas are Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City, Misamis Occidental, Iligan City, Davao City, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Cotabato City, and Lanao del Sur.
The rest of the country will be under a Modified GCQ, the lightest restriction level.
The Philippines logged 14,286 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections to 2,549,966.
There were 130 new deaths reported, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 38,294.
The DOH also reported 8,26 new recoveries, bringing total recoveries to 2,373,378.
The IATF also released its updated list of countries/jurisdictions/territories that belong to the Red, Yellow, and Green List for October 1-15, with Bermuda the only country on the Red List, while 49 countries remain in the Green List.
The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPi) earlier urged a two-week extension of Alert Level 4 in the NCR, saying it was too early to say if the number of COVID-19 cases was really going down.
Some business groups, on the other hand, asked that the NCR be put under Alert Level 3 in the fourth quarter.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, meanwhile, said he wants to open up more businesses, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at all alert levels subject to operating capacity limits especially as the holiday nears.
Lopez said he wants more businesses to open but without sacrificing the minimum health standards imposed by the government.
He said opening up businesses may still need an exclusion list, but a shorter one, "for the high-risk non-essentials."
The Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 on Thursday extended the pilot implementation of the Alert Level System in Metro Manila by two weeks to October 15, IATF and Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said.
This was aligned with the call of medical groups to extend Alert Level 4 in the National Capital Region by another fortnight due to their concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, even as business leaders batted for the reopening of more businesses and a relaxing of quarantine restrictions.
The IATF also approved the recommendation to expand by an additional 10 percent the allowable indoor capacities of dine-in services, in-person religious services, and personal care services in areas under Alert Level 4 for fully vaccinated individuals.
The task force also approved the reopening of fitness studios and gyms at a limited 20-percent capacity for fully vaccinated individuals, provided that all gym workers should also be fully vaccinated.
Also approved by the IATF is the pilot rollout of the vaccination of children ages 12 to 17 years old with vaccines granted Emergency Use Authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.
The inoculations will begin also on October 15 under a phased approach “as may be determined by the National Vaccination Operations Center.”
Following the directives of President Rodrigo Duterte, the IATF also affirmed the opening of the national vaccination program to the general population nationwide “upon the determination of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and its Vaccine Cluster.”
Meanwhile, placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from October 1 to 15 are Apayao, Kalinga, Batanes, Bataan, Bulacan, Cavite, Lucena City, Rizal, Laguna, Naga City, and Iloilo Province.
Areas placed under General Community Quarantine with heightened restrictions from October 1 to 31 are Abra, Baguio City, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, City of Santiago, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Quezon, Batangas, Bacolod City, Capiz, Iloilo City, Lapu-Lapu City, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Butuan City and Surigao del Sur.
Davao de Oro will also be under GCQ with heightened restrictions but only from October 1 to 15.
Under “regular” GCQ from October 1 to 31 are Ilocos Norte, Dagupan City, Benguet, Ifugao, Tarlac, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa City, Albay and Camarines Norte for Luzon.
For Visayas, GCQ areas are Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Cebu City, Cebu Province, Mandaue City, Siquijor and Tacloban City.
In Mindanao, GCQ areas are Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City, Misamis Occidental, Iligan City, Davao City, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Cotabato City, and Lanao del Sur.
The rest of the country will be under a Modified GCQ, the lightest restriction level.