Duque backs off Alert Level 0
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS)
MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stepped back on his earlier call to lift restrictions in some areas of the country after recent surges in Hong Kong, China, and South Korea.
“Let’s not force this ‘alert level zero’ right now because it is just distracting us from the measures we are taking to help those [areas] that have yet to be under Alert Level 1,” Duque said in a radio interview on Wednesday.
Duque said the current alert level system — which has five levels, with level 1 as the least restrictive — and its corresponding metrics should remain in place.
Metro Manila and 47 other areas were placed under Alert Level 1 from March 16 to March 31, but health experts were not keen on the idea, especially with the start of the local campaign period next week.
—KATHLEEN DE VILLA
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