Alert level system needed while COVID-19 remains a pandemic — OCTA

FILE PHOTO: An area on granular lockdown in Metro Manila in an effort to stop the spread of the more contagious variants of the new coronavirus. INQUIRER/NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — For independent analytics group OCTA Research, the alert level system should be maintained as long as COVID-19 remains a pandemic.

“Sa perspective namin, ‘yung  (In our perspective, the) alert level system ay (is a) requirement as long as we’re in a state of emergency or state of pandemic,” Octa Research fellow Guido David said on Wednesday’s Laging Handa briefing.

“So, ang makakapagsabi niyan ay ‘yung World Health Organization, isang governing body internationally, ay masabing wala na tayong state of pandemic, ay pwede na siguro nating tanggalin ‘yung alert level system. Pero until then, naka-tie in itong alert level system sa pagiging state of calamity or state of national emergency,” he added.

(When the World Health Organization, an international governing body, says that we are no longer in a state of pandemic, maybe we can remove the alert level system. But until then, the alert level system will be tied into our state of calamity or state of national emergency.)

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion has proposed removing the alert level system and just enforcing it when there is a threat of COVID-19 infections.

He also suggested trimming the five-tier alert level system into just three levels.

The Philippines was placed under a state of calamity in March 2020 because of COVID-19.

/MUF