Metro Manila, 7 Provinces Under Alert Level 2 Starting February 1

Metro Manila and seven other provinces will be placed under Alert Level 2 from February 1, 2022 until February 15, 2022. Malacañan Palace made the announcement on Sunday amid declining COVID-19 cases. Batanes, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Biliran, Southern Leyte, and Basilan are the other provinces being placed under less strict restrictions. The last time the Metro Manila alert level was at Alert Level 2 was on January 2, 2022. A spike in COVID cases brought on by the Omicron variant caused stricter restrictions to be imposed on most of the country.

 Regions still under Alert Level 3

The situation in Metro Manila and those seven provinces may have improved but other areas will remain under Alert Level 3. These are:

Intrazonal and interzonal travel is allowed but is subject to reasonable restrictions under Alert Level 2 and 3. These restrictions will be determined by the local government units.

Metro Manila Alert Level 2

Lowering the Metro Manila alert level was floated by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Friday, January 28, 2022. Independent monitor OCTA Research also warned on Friday that COVID cases were not yet low enough to merit a downgrade to Alert Level 2.

OCTA fellow Guido David said that the healthcare utilization in the National Capital Region is currently at low risk. He cautioned, however, that all other metrics used by the Inter-Agency Task Force as the basis for the alert level classification remain at high risk.

David noted that the IATF might wait for cases to decrease even further and “that will be a long way away.” The stops and starts in the economy brought on by switching alert levels have done no favors for businesses in the country. The quick infection rate of the Omicron variant led to high COVID cases for the month. That all culminated in a single-day high of 39,004 positive cases on January 15.

What Alert Level 2 Means

Alert Level 2 does not limit as many activities as Alert Level 3 and higher do. Social events such as parties, wedding receptions, birthday parties, etc. are allowed to take place. The LGUs can allow amusement parks or theme parks and cinemas or movie houses to operate.

Limited face-to-face classes are also allowed under the new Metro Manila alert level. Barbershops, hair salons, and other personal care establishments are subject to sector-specific protocols. Contact sports, fitness studios, and gyms will be allowed pending LGU approval.

Key Takeaways

Metro Manila alert level has been downgraded, along with seven other provinces. These will be placed under the less restrictive Alert Level 2 from February 1 to 15. Malacañang Palace made the announcement based on declining COVID cases. The independent monitoring group OCTA Research stated just two days before that Metro Manila should remain at Alert Level 3. Most regions and cities around the Philippines remain under Alert Level 3 despite this change in the status quo. Switching to Alert Level 2 means fewer restrictions on intrazonal and interzonal movements. Many activities that were restricted and establishments that were closed will now be allowed to operate once again.

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