PNP: Too early to shift to Alert Level 1 despite drop in COVID-19 cases

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos (INQUIRER/NIñO JESUS ORBETA)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has agreed with the Department of Health (DOH) and other groups who are against a downgrading of the current COVID-19 alert level as it is supposedly not yet the ripe time for that.

 In a statement, PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos explained that the quarantine restrictions should not be eased especially during the holiday season, as the movement of people has gradually increased.

“The time isn’t ripe yet since it’s the holiday season and we have observed more people becoming complacent to go outdoors, disregarding health protocol,  and unmindful of the risks,” Carlos explained on Wednesday.

 The entire Philippines is under Alert Level 2, including Metro Manila. 

Last Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that it would be better if Metro Manila, which has had a history of COVID-19 spikes and surges in the past two years, remains under Alert Level 2.

Like Duque, Carlos thinks that shifting to Alert Level 1 may have a “great impact on the observance of the minimum health standards” even if the country’s COVID-19 cases have been continuously on a downward trend.

Metro Manila has already been classified as a very-low risk for COVID-19  by analytics group OCTA Research, after the average number of cases for seven days fell down to just 105.

On Wednesday, DOH said that it recorded only 370 new COVID-19 infections and 861 recoveries.

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