THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) is set to discuss on Thursday the possible downgrading of the Alert Level in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo B. Nograles said the IATF will review the bed utilization rate, average daily attack rate, and the two-week growth rate in the region to decide if it will de-escalate the Alert Level 3 in NCR to 2 starting next month.
He noted the decreasing cases of Covid-19 as well as health care utilization in the region could persuade the IATF to bring down the Alert Level in the region, allowing more businesses to resume their operations.
“If you look at the trend in Metro Manila, we are seeing a decrease in the number of cases. So its two-week growth rate is probably going to be lower or even a negative growth rate,” Nograles said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Wednesday.
He also said the healthcare utilization rate in NCR is now at moderate level.
“So what we have to look at now is the average daily attack rate, meaning the average number of daily cases per 100,000 population,” Nograles said.
The concurrent Cabinet secretary said the IATF may decide on the matter during the weekend before the current Alert Level 3 classification of NCR lapses by Feb. 1, 2022.
Aside from its effect on businesses, the lower alert level in NCR will also lead to the scrapping of the “no vaccine, no ride” policy, which is currently being implemented by the Department of Transportation (DOTR) for public utility vehicles in the region.
Nograles explained the policy is based on the separate ordinances passed by local government units (LGU) in NCR, which will no longer be in effect once the Alert Level in the region becomes lower than 3.