The National Capital Region will be placed under Alert Level 4 beginning September 16 for the implementation of granular lockdowns.
Under Alert Level 4, there will be certain restrictions for establishments and activities that would fall under the so-called 3Cs, which refer to closed spaces, crowded spaces, and activities that promote close contact. However, under the pilot, certain indoor activities were allowed for the fully vaccinated.
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Authorized Person Outside Residence (APOR)
- Overseas Filipino Workers bound for international travel and those returning to their respective residences after having completed facility-based quarantine upon arrival.
- Individual seeking medical attention as validated by the municipal/City Health Officer.
- Individuals living within the area under granular lockdown and wish to stay there for its duration.
- People delivering food and essential items.
Persons below 18 years old and above 65 years old, those with immunodeficiencies, comorbidities, or other health risks, and pregnant women are not allowed to leave their homes except for obtaining essential goods and services and working in permitted industries and offices under alert level 4.
Not Allowed to Operate
These are the establishments not allowed to operate under Alert Level 4:
- Indoor visitor or tourist attractions, libraries, archives, museums, galleries, and cultural shows and exhibits; indoor venues for meetings, incentives, conferences, events (MICE);
- Indoor entertainment venues such as cinemas, and venues with live performers such as karaoke bars, bars, clubs, concert halls, and theaters; outdoor and indoor amusement parks or theme parks, funfairs/peryas, kid amusement industries such as playgrounds, playroom, and kiddie rides;
- Indoor recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, bowling alleys, and similar venues and staycations are also not allowed to operate.
Allowed to Operate
Personal care services limited to barbershops, hair spas, nail spas, and beauty salons are allowed to operate at 30 percent, if these services are conducted outdoors, regardless of customers’ vaccination status while indoor services are at 10 percent capacity, only for fully vaccinated persons.
Outdoor or alfresco dine-in services in restaurants and eateries are allowed to operate at 30 percent capacity, regardless of customers’ vaccination status while indoor dine-in services may be allowed at 10 percent capacity, only for fully vaccinated individuals. Outdoor religious services are allowed at 30 percent capacity, regardless of vaccination status. Indoor religious gatherings, meanwhile, may be allowed at a limited 10 percent venue/seating capacity, only for fully vaccinated individuals.
Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, funerals for those who died of causes other than coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) shall be limited to immediate family members.
Government offices will remain fully operational with at least 20 percent on-site capacity with the implementation of work-from-home and other flexible work arrangement schemes.
PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar ordered police commanders in Metro Manila to assist in the information dissemination on the new guidelines on the quarantine alert level system and come up with plans on the strategic deployment of personnel in coordination with LGUs.
Alert Level System
On the general guidelines for the pilot implementation of the Alert Levels System for COVID-19 Response, Roque said that it will be up to the Department of Health to identify the alert level for the pilot area. The classification of alert levels will be done weekly.
Roque added that granular lockdowns that will be imposed under the new Alert Levels System will be strictly done for not less than 14 days, where only a few individuals will be allowed to move in and out of the lockdown area. These include healthcare and allied health professionals, including uniformed personnel who will impose the lockdowns, and departing overseas Filipino workers and those who arrived and have just finished their quarantine.
Entry shall also be allowed for those who reside in an area declared under granular lockdown only for the purpose of returning to their residence; and for individuals under exceptional circumstances such as those seeking urgent medical attention. Food and other essential items that are for delivery within an area that is under granular lockdown shall be unloaded only at border collection points that shall be determined by the local government unit.
The new quarantine classifications that will be piloted in Metro Manila will have five Alert Levels that would determine the activities allowed in cities and/or municipalities.
These include:
* Alert Level 1 – refers to areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, total bed utilization rate, and intensive care unit utilization rate is low.
* Alert Level 2 – refers to areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, healthcare utilization is low, or case counts are low but increasing, or case counts are low and decreasing but total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate is increasing.
*Alert Level 3 – refers to areas wherein case counts are high and/or increasing, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at increasing utilization.
* Alert Level 4 – refers to areas wherein case counts are high and/or increasing, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate are high.
*Alert Level 5 – refers to areas wherein case counts are alarming, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at a critical level.