METRO Manila and 72 other locations will remain under Alert Level 2 until the end of the month as authorities continue to monitor if the easing of restrictions will translate to higher Covid-19 cases.
This is according to a Resolution No. 148-F. series of 2021, which was issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Saturday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the new IATF issuance extended the duration of the Alert Level 2 status of NCR from November 21, 2021 until November 30, 2021.
He said the new issuance also placed the province of Catanduanes under Alert Level 4, or the second-highest Alert Level under the Alert Level System (ALS), starting on next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the IATF decided to place the following areas under Alert Level 3: Baguio City in the Cordillera Administrative Region and Siquijor in Region VII starting November 15; and Batanes, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya in Region II and the City of Isabela and Zamboanga City in Region IX beginning November 17.
Like NCR, Roque said the following areas were also placed by the IATF under Alert Level 2 starting Saturday: Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Dagupan and Ilocos Norte in Region I; Tacloban, Southern Leyte, Samar (Western Samar), Ormoc City, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Leyte and Biliran in Region VIII; South Cotabato, Sarangani, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato (North Cotabato) in Region XII.
Also to be placed under Alert Level 2, but starting on Nov. 15, 2021 are Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Aurora, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Zambales, Olongapo and Angeles City in Region III; Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon and Lucena City in Region IV-A;
In the Visayas, the Alert Level 2 areas are Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Antique, Aklan, Iloilo Province and Guimaras in Region VI; Negros Oriental, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu City, Mandaue City, Cebu Province and Bohol in Region VII.
For Mindanao, these areas are Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental and Iligan City in Region X; and Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, Davao City, Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental in Region XI.
The last batch of areas to be placed under Alert Level 2 this month (starting Nov. 17, 2021) include the City of Santiago, Cagayan and Isabela in Region II; Albay, Sorsogon, Naga City, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Masbate in Region V; Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur in Region IX.
All of the new Alert Levels will last until Nov. 30, 2021.
To recall, the IATF authorized the nationwide implementation of the ALS and the phase of the community quarantine classification scheme.
Image courtesy of Bernard Testa/BM
