Philippines Starts First Few Days of the New Year under New Lockdown

COVID-19 cases have once again surged in the country, particularly in Metro Manila, which has led to the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to establish stricter protocols in the coming weeks. On New Year’s Eve, acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles announced that the National Capital Region (NCR) will be placed under Alert Level 3 from January 3 to 15 after the Department of Health tallied 2,961 new coronavirus infections — with 10 cases being due to the Omicron variant.

“In the coming days, we might see an increase in active cases,” explained Nograles during the televised announcement. He affirmed that intrazonal and interzonal within NCR will be allowed subject to the discretion of the local government units (LGUs). However, Alert Level 3 also prohibits face-to-face classes, contact sports, amusement parks, casinos as well as similar gaming establishments like cockpits, and venues with live performers and audiences.

The operating capacity for restaurants, fitness centers, personal care services, and social gatherings will also be limited according to the IATF. In this light, the government has urged unvaccinated Filipinos to get their shots while hospitals have been recommended to prepare for the uptick of cases, especially among children.

Nograles added that each individual has a role to play in mitigating the spread of the global pandemic. “More than ever, the success of the country against the challenge of this pandemic [is] placed on the shoulders of everyone.” Earlier, the president’s adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion raised concerns over putting the country in yet another tight lockdown. Concepcion noted that doing so could hamper the economic recovery the Philippines has experienced in recent months.

“The businesses have definitely recovered in the last quarter. Everybody was extremely happy, the bounce-back was about 80% of pre-pandemic sales. That’s great. What is more important is we sustain this,” he elaborated. “We have to keep the economy open, the micro small and medium enterprises cannot afford lockdowns because we need revenue to be able to pay our loans and suppliers.”

Sources: BusinessMirror, Reuters, CNN PH