MMDA: Metro mayors to ask for ease to Alert Level 1 if COVID-19 cases continue to drop

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila mayors may ask the Inter-Agency Task Force to ease the capital region to Alert Level 1 if COVID-19 cases continue to decline, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Tuesday.

MMDA officer-in-charge and general manager Romando Artes said they may make the recommendation “soon” if Metro Manila reaches the threshold for Alert Level 1, the least restrictive in the five-tier alert level system.

“Ang aming napag-usapan ay pag patuloy na bumaba ang COVID-19 case sa Kalakhang Maynila, baka mag-request kami na ibaba na sa Alert Level 1 ang Metro Manila,” he said in a Laging Handa public briefing.

(We discussed that if the number of cases continued to decline in Metro Manila, we may request that the region be downgraded to Alert Level 1.)

“Patuloy naman bumababa at ‘pag na-reach namin ang threshold para ibaba sa Alert Level 1, ‘yan ay hihilingin namin sa IATF, para maibaba na at mabuksan ang ekonomiya dito sa Metro Manila,” Artes added.

(The cases continue to decline and if we reach the threshold for Alert Level 1, we will ask the IATF to downgrade the alert level so that we can further open up the economy of the metropolis.)

According to IATF guidelines, Alert Level 1 is placed over areas with low COVID-19 case transmission, bed utilization rate, and intensive care unit utilization rate.

Artes said that Metro Manila recorded only 1,271 new cases based on the latest tally. He said they are expecting that the cases would decline to 1,000 cases per day before February ends.

Metro Manila is currently under Alert Level 2 until Feb. 15.

The IATF will soon meet and decide on new alert levels, including Metro Manila, for the rest of February.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante earlier said it is “too early” and “too drastic” to downgrade Alert Level 1 this month.

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