MANILA – Western Visayas will remain under coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Alert Level 3 until Feb. 15.
The retention was recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) over the weekend, according to acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles announced.
“Of course, we are monitoring regions that are under Alert Level 3 because they have a high two-week growth rate and a high average daily attack rate,” he added.
Iloilo City was placed under Alert Level 3 beginning Jan. 9 after recording a COVID-19 Omicron variant case. Bacolod City, Aklan, Capiz and Antique were elevated to the same alert level by Jan. 14.
Two days after, the remaining areas in Western Visayas — Guimaras, Iloilo province and Negros Occidental — also shifted to Alert Level 3, with cases of COVID-19 on the rise.
Yesterday, Jan. 30, the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 recorded 1,275 new COVID-19 cases, increasing Western Visayas’ number of active cases to 20,280.
DOH-6, however, recorded to deaths yesterday and 1,578 cases that recovered.
The new cases in Region 6 were in the following areas:
* Aklan – 107
* Antique – 54
* Capiz – 86
* Guimaras – 15
* Iloilo province – 363
* Negros Occidental – 230
* Bacolod City – 129
* Iloilo City – 291
As of yesterday, the total number of COVID-19 cases that the region so far recorded since the pandemic started last year stood at 170,849.
Under Alert Level 3, establishments are allowed to operate at 30 percent indoor venue capacity only for fully vaccinated individuals and 50 percent outdoor venue capacity, provided that all employees are fully vaccinated.
Work in government offices, meanwhile, is limited to 60 percent of their onsite capacity.
Face-to-face classes in basic and higher education, contact sports, funfairs/perya, and casinos are among the activities and establishments prohibited under Alert Level 3./PN
