MANILA – Malacañang announced on Wednesday that starting Oct. 16, the alert level status in Metro Manila will be downgraded to Alert Level 3 from the current Alert Level 4 status.
In a press statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that this comes after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) decided to loosen restrictions in Metro Manila.
“The Inter-Agency Task Force on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, approved the recommendation to place the National Capital Region under Alert Level 3 beginning October 16, 2021 until October 31, 2021,” said Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson.
The IATF-EID also authorized and adopted modifications to the Guidelines on the Implementation of the Alert Levels System for Covid-19 Response in the Pilot Areas, according to him.
The new guidelines have not yet been made public.
The city of Metro Manila was reclassified to Alert Level 3 due to a decrease in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections in the country’s capital.
The downgrade in the alert level in Metro Manila will allow more establishments to reopen.
Community quarantine
Meanwhile, Roque stated that the IATF-EID approved a stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from Oct. 16 to 31 in Apayao, Kalinga, Batanes, Bulacan, Bataan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Naga City, Zamboanga City, and Zamboanga del Norte.
Roque noted that the general community quarantine (GCQ) status will be implemented with heightened restrictions in Abra, Baguio City, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, City of Santiago, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Quezon, Batangas, Bacolod City, Capiz, Lapu-Lapu City, Negros Oriental, and Bohol.
He further stated that Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro City, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, Butuan City, and Surigao del Sur will be subject to the stricter GCQ.
According to Roque, the regular GCQ will be imposed in Ilocos Norte, Dagupan City, Ifugao, Benguet, Tarlac, Lucena City, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa, Marinduque, Albay, Camarines Norte, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Iloilo City, Iloilo Province, Cebu City, Cebu Province, Mandaue City, Siquijor, and Tacloban City.
The more relaxed GCQ will also be imposed in Zamboanga Sibugay, 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, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Cotabato City, and Lanao del Sur, Roque said.
He added that the rest of the country would continue to be subject to modified GCQ (MGCQ).
“This latest risk-level classification shall take effect beginning Oct. 16, 2021 until Oct. 31, 2021,” he said.
