Metro Manila and several other areas in the country will remain under Alert Level (AL) 1 until the end of the month under a new resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF).
In a news statement issued on Wednesday, Acting Presidential Spokesman Martin M. Andanar said the IATF issued Resolution No. 166-A, which updated the list of ALs in the country, which will be in effect from April 16 to April 30, 2022.
Under the new issuance, AL 1 will be in effect in the National Capital Region (NCR) and following other areas in Luzon: Cordillera Administrative Region: Abra, Apayao, Baguio City, Mountain Province, and Kalinga; Region 1: Dagupan City, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan; Region 2: Batanes, Cagayan, City of Santiago, Isabela, and Quirino; Region 3: Angeles City, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales; Region 4A: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Lucena City, and Rizal; Region 4B: Marinduque, Puerto Princesa City, Romblon, and Oriental Mindoro; and Region 5: Catanduanes, Naga City, and Albay.
Also to be placed under AL 1 are the following areas in the Visayas: Region 6: Aklan, Bacolod City, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo City; Region 7: Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Siquijor; and Region 8: Biliran, Eastern Samar, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, and Tacloban City.
For Mindanao AL 1 areas are the following: Region 9: Zamboanga City; Region 10: Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, and Iligan City; Region 11: Davao City; and Caraga: Butuan City and Surigao del Sur.
IATF Resolution 166-A also placed the following component cities and municipalities under Alert Level 1: For Luzon: Region 2: Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya; and Region 5: Basud, Camarines Norte. For the Visayas: Region 6: Anini-y, Antique; New Lucena, Iloilo; Tubungan, Iloilo; and City of Victorias, Negros Occidental; and Region 7: Sevilla, Bohol. For Mindanao: Region 10: Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental; and Region 12: Tantangan, South Cotabato.
According to the IATF Secretariat, 887 or 54 percent of the 1,634 total cities and municipalities nationwide are now under AL 1.
Establishments and public utility vehicles will be able to operate at 100 percent capacity in areas under AL 1.
Among the criteria set by the IATF for placing an area under AL 1 is that 70 percent of its eligible population should be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Andanar said the IATF also listed down the highly urbanized cities (HUCs) and Independent Component Cities (ICC), which will remain under AL 2 until the end of the month.
For Luzon: Cordillera Administrative Region: Benguet and Ifugao; Region 2: Nueva Vizcaya; Region 4A: Quezon Province; Region 4B: Occidental Mindoro and Palawan; and Region 5: Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate, and Sorsogon. For the Visayas: Region 6: Antique, Negros Occidental, and Iloilo Province; Region 7: Bohol, Cebu, and Negros Oriental; and Region 8: Leyte, Northern Samar and Western Samar. For Mindanao: Region 9: City of Isabela, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga Sibugay; Region 10: Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental; Region 11: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, and Davao Occidental; Region 12: General Santos City, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato; Caraga: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte; and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Basilan, Cotabato City, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
In AL 2 areas, the operation capacity of establishments will be from 50 percent for indoor areas and 70 percent for outdoor venues.