THE crowding and lack of physical distancing seen in campaign sorties was one of the main reasons why the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) opted to retain the Alert Level 2 in Metro Manila, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday said.
Malacañang on Monday extended the Alert Level 2 quarantine status of the National Capital Region (NCR) until the end of February.
“One of the reasons why the IATF-EID had agreed to extend the Alert Level 2 for NCR is for the simple reason that, somehow, this can counter-balance or it can serve as a counterweight to the observation that the MPHS (minimum public health standards) is being violated wantonly,” Duque said in a television interview.
The health chief said the additional two weeks will allow the government to assess if MPHS breaches committed during campaign activities will have an adverse effect in the fight against COVID-19.
“We want to see if the cases will surge in the next two weeks or from the time the candidates held their meeting de avance (and) proclamation rallies,” he said, adding: “That should be reasonable time given Omicron’s very rapid and high transmissibility. The two weeks will be long enough to see if there’s an increase in cases.”
Since the start of the campaign period, health officials have repeatedly appealed to candidates and their supporters to strictly adhere to the MPHS during the campaign rallies.
Had election candidates and their political groups strictly observed campaign protocols, Duque said could have already shifted to Alert Level 1 since COVID-19 indicators in the region already allowed for the easing of restrictions.
“We are observing a rapid drop in the number of cases in most regions, and NCR in particular,” he said.
“So, if you look at our metrics of two-week growth rate, average daily attack rare, and healthcare utilization rate, we are already at low risk, which warrants an Alert Level 1 status,” added Duque.
ILOILO CITY
Iloilo City COVID-19 task force spokesman Jeck Conlu said Mayor Jerry Treñas will appeal to the IATF to reconsider its decision to extend the city’s Alert Level 3 of quarantine until the end of the month.
“Actually, our heath care utilization rate went own. It’s already at 61.24 percent from 69 percent. Our ADAR (average daily attack rate) is now 13 percent, from 85 percent,” said Conlu, adding that from 500 to 600 cases per day, infections have dropped to 60.
Conlu said these “real time” numbers make the city qualified to be placed under the lower Alert Level 2.
“After we received our official alert status yesterday, Mayor Jerry Treñas ordered to come up with a letter to be submitted to the national IATF. Mayor Jerry Treñas will send the appeal letter to the IATF so we will be downgraded to Alert Level 2. Our cases here in Iloilo City is on the downward trend,” he said.
Conlu said the city government will appeal the IATF decision because many establishments have been affected by the stricter protocols under Alert Level 3.
He said they want an Alert Level 2 be declared in the city “because we want to revive (these establishments) so that the economy of Iloilo City and Iloilo province will be revived.”
According to data from the Department of Health as of last Monday, Iloilo has recorded 31,863 COVID-19 cases since 2020, with 1,172 active cases and 623 deaths.
Iloilo City was among the seven areas that were placed under Alert Level 3 by the IATF.
The six others were the provinces of Iloilo, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, Guimaras and South Cotabato and Zamboanga City.
PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos welcomed the IATF decision to place NCR under Alert Level 2, saying the downgrading of the region’s alert status to Alert Level 1 may lead people to become complacent in observing health protocols.
“Downgrading to the most lenient Alert Level 1, can lead to complacency. It is practical to impose enough restrictions so the public will still be bound to adhere to stricter health protocol,” said Carlos.
AIRLINES
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente reminded inbound airlines to ensure that only eligible foreigners are permitted to board their flights to the Philippines.
Morente issued the reminder following the decision of the IATF to reopen the country’s border to foreign tourists starting February 10.
“It is the responsibility of airlines to ensure that foreigners boarding their flights to the country are eligible to enter,” Morente said, adding that currently, the country only allows the entry of fully vaccinated foreigners, subject to the presentation of required documents.
BI Port Operations Division chief Carlos Capulong said it is imperative that the airlines exercise due diligence in ensuring that their passengers are compliant with requirements as they are primarily responsible if their customers are denied entry to the country.
“This is a joint effort by different government agencies, as well as the airlines who are the first to evaluate documents presented by travelers. The airlines have been very helpful and cooperative with these policies that we are duty-bound to impose,” Capulong said.
Foreign nationals who are ineligible for entry are isolated upon arriving at the airport and are boarded on the next available flight back to their port of origin.
Airlines face fines and sanctions for allowing improperly documented foreign nationals to board their flights.
Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism (DOT yesterday said inbound tourist arrivals from visa-free countries have already reached 9,283, of which 4,209 are balikbayans while 5,074 are foreign tourists.
Tourists from the United States make up the largest chunk of foreign tourists during a four-day period with 2,227 arrivals; this is followed by 661 from Canada, 404 from Australia, 344 from the United Kingdom, 189 from South Korea, 169 from Japan, and 168 from Germany.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the reopening of the country’s borders to visitors from visa-free countries will help in improving our numbers.
“We at the DOT are excited to see a revival in our local tourism and will continue to support our partners in achieving this goal,” she added.
Puyat also highlighted the country’s readiness for the influx of foreign travelers further noting that more than 90 percent of its target tourism workers nationwide are fully-vaccinated.
“The DOT’s goal has since shifted to providing fully vaccinated workers with booster shots,” she said. Not only will this give them extra protection against the virus, but also add to the confidence of local and foreign tourists as they make their way to the country’s many breathtaking destinations.
GRANULAR LOCKDOWNS
The PNP said some 300 areas nationwide, mostly in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), are under granular lockdown.
Data from the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame showed CAR has 177 areas under granular lockdown, followed by Ilocos Region with 85, NCR with 17, Cagayan Valley with 16, Mimaropa with four and Zamboanga Peninsula with one.
The number decreased from 444 as of Friday last week.
The PNP said the 300 areas last reported to be under granular lockdown are situated in 159 barangays within 21 cities and municipalities.
It said 548 households, composed of 780 individuals, are affected by the lockdowns.
The localized lockdowns are manned by 171 policemen and 525 force multipliers or personnel from the local government units.
Meanwhile, the PNP said 386,593 quarantine violators have been accosted throughout the country from February 1 to 14.
It said 334,855 were accosted for violation of MPHS protocols, 46,966 for curfew violation and 4,772 were non-authorized persons outside residence. — With Victor Reyes, Ashzel Hachero, Edison Gonzales and Peter Tabingo