MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces, along with other areas in Visayas and Mindanao, are back to Alert Level 2 starting February 1, the Palace said.
This was confirmed by Malacañang on Sunday, according to reports. The complete list of new areas under Alert Level 2 is as follows:
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Luzon
- Metro Manila
- Batanes
- Bulacan
- Cavite
- Rizal
Visayas
- Biliran
- Southern Leyte
Mindanao
- Basilan
Under Alert Level 2, the maximum operational capacities for several businesses and activities is 50% for indoor venues, fully vaccinated persons, and those below 18 years of age, even if unvaccinated and 70% for outdoor venues provided all workers of the establishments are fully inoculated against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the following areas will be under Alert Level 3 during the same period:
Luzon
- Abra
- Apayao
- Baguio City
- Benguet
- Kalinga
- Mountain Province
- Dagupan City
- Ilocos Norte
- Ilocos Sur
- La Union
- Pangasinan
- Santiago City
- Cagayan
- Isabela
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Quirino
- Angeles City
- Aurora
- Bataan
- Nueva Ecija
- Olongapo City
- Pampanga
- Tarlac
- Zambales
- Batangas
- Laguna
- Lucena City
- Quezon
- Marinduque
- Romblon
- Occidental Mindoro
- Oriental Mindoro
- Puerto Princesa City
- Albay
- Camarines Norte
- Camarines Sur
- Catanduanes
- Masbate
- Naga City
- Sorsogon
Visayas
- Aklan
- Antique
- Bacolod City
- Capiz City
- Iloilo City
- Iloilo
- Negros Occidental
- Guimaras
- Cebu City
- Lapu-Lapu City
- Mandaue City
- Bohol
- Cebu
- Negros Oriental
- Siquijor
- Ormoc City
- Tacloban City
- Eastern Samar
- Leyte
- Northern Samar
- Western Samar
Mindanao
- Isabela City
- Zamboanga City
- Zamboanga del Sur
- Zamboanga del Norte
- Zamboanga Sibugay
- Bukidnon
- Cagayan de Oro City
- Iligan City
- Lanao del Norte
- Misamis Occidental
- Misamis Oriental
- Davao City
- Davao del Sur
- Davao del Norte
- Davao Oriental
- Davao de Oro
- General Santos City
- North Cotabato
- Sarangani
- South Cotabato
- Sultan Kudarat
- Surigao del Norte
- Surigao del Sur
- Agusan del Norte
- Agusan del Sur
- Butuan City
- Maguindanao
- Cotabato City
- Lanao del Sur
The Philippines is currently in the middle of a surge attributed to the more transmissible Omicron variant. Alert Level 2 is the same alert status the country was under before the current surge began in late December.
According to the OCTA Research Group, the capital region along with Cavite and Rizal are back to the "moderate risk" classification for COVID-19.
This comes despite the positivity rates in those areas still being at least 20%, which means that one in every five tests for the coronavirus comes out positive.
When the national government's coronavirus rolled out its new alert system, it explained that Alert Level 2 will be hoisted in areas where case transmission is low and decreasing, healthcare utilization is low, or cases are low but increasing, or cases are low and decreasing but bed utilization and ICU utilization is increasing.