An infectious disease expert on Monday (Feb. 7) said it may still be “too early” to place the National Capital Region (NCR) under a more relaxed Alert Level 1.
In the Laging Handa briefing, Dr. Rontgene Solante, said Alert Level 2 must be retained, noting that it is “too drastic to change to a lower alert level like Alert Level 1.”
“Tingnan muna natin in the next two weeks kung medyo maganda ang palo ng mga kaso natin, mas mababa na, then let’s see, kasi medyo mahirap kung agad babaan ang alert level,” he said.
“Remember, mataas pa rin ang mga kasong nakikita natin, mataas pa rin ang hawaan and we need to be vigilant about these numbers na dapat hindi lang tayo diri-diretso na magbaba kaagad ng alert level,” he added.
Based on the latest projections of the independent analytics group OCTA Research, the daily tally of COVID-19 cases in the country is expected to further decrease to 1,000 to 2,000 by the end of February.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 chief implementer, also said this is not yet enough to further downgrade the alert levels nationwide, especially in Metro Manila.
The government is yet to discuss and finalize in the coming days the new alert levels to be imposed in various provinces across the country starting February 16.
In the case of the NCR, authorities said they will carefully study whether or not it is best to downgrade its status to the most lenient Alert Level 1.
In a briefing last week, acting presidential spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Alert Level 1 is similar to the “new normal” concept.
“Kaya nga po binubuo iyong National Action Plan Phase 5 kasi doon natin po makikita, mas titingnan po nila ang mga different areas, protocols, policies—policy shifts na kailangan nating gawin para po maging resilient tayo,” Nograles said. – Report from Mela Lesmoras/AG
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