By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – A total of 16 areas in Metro Manila are under granular lockdown as Alert Level 3 has been raised in the National Capital Region (NCR) from Jan. 3 to Jan. 15, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Tuesday, Jan. 4.
PNP data showed that 14 areas are under the jurisdiction of the Northern Police District and one each for the Manila Police District and Southern Police District.
Nationwide, the number of areas under granular lockdown also increased from eight to 27, including the NCR, Mimaropa, and the Cordillera regions.
NCR Police Office (NCRPO) Chief, Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., reiterated his call for the stricter implementation of guidelines and health protocols to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the communities, especially amid the rise in the number of cases and the Omicron variant.
“We will be strict in the implementation of laws and ordinances to protect our citizens from this deadly virus,” Danao said in a statement.
At the NCRPO, 14 active cases were recorded as of January 2, after reporting just one active case on Dec. 27 last year.
Aside from the NCR, the provinces of Rizal, Bulacan, and Cavite have also been placed under Alert Level 3 following the rising number of COVID-19 cases in these areas.
Under Alert Level 3, a 30% indoor venue capacity and 50% outdoor venue capacity will be allowed for some activities, provided employees are fully vaccinated.
However, face-to-face or in-person classes for basic education; contact sports, except those conducted under the bubble-type setup; funfairs/carnivals and kid amusement industries; venues with live voice or wind instrument performers and audiences; casinos, horse racing, cockfighting, and operation of cockpits, lottery and betting shops, and other gaming establishments; and gatherings in residences with individuals not belonging to the same household will be prohibited. (PNA) – bny
