MANILA – More than half of the Philippines’ total cities and municipalities, including Metro Manila, are now under the lowest Alert Level 1 status from April 16 to 30 as Covid-19 cases in the country remain low, Malacañang said Wednesday.
In a press statement, acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the recommendation on Tuesday.
Andanar said the following provinces, highly urbanized cities (HUCs), independent component cities (ICCs) and municipalities will also be under Alert Level 1 from April 16 until the end of the month:
For Luzon: Cordillera Administrative Region: Abra, Apayao, Baguio City, Mountain Province, and Kalinga; Region 1: Dagupan City, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan; Region 2: Batanes, Cagayan, City of Santiago, Isabela, and Quirino; Region 3: Angeles City, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales; Region 4-A: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Lucena City, and Rizal; Region 4-B: Marinduque, Puerto Princesa City, Romblon, and Oriental Mindoro; and Region 5: Catanduanes, Naga City, and Albay.
For the Visayas: Region 6: Aklan, Bacolod City, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo City; Region 7: Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Siquijor; and Region 8: Biliran, Eastern Samar, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, and Tacloban City.
For Mindanao: Region 9: Zamboanga City; Region 10: Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, and Iligan City; Region 11: Davao City; and Caraga: Butuan City and Surigao del Sur.
The following component cities and municipalities will also be placed under Alert Level 1 from April 16, to April 30.
For Luzon: Region 2: Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya; and Region 5: Basud, Camarines Norte.
For the Visayas: Region 6: Anini-y, Antique; New Lucena, Iloilo; Tubungan, Iloilo; and City of Victorias, Negros Occidental; and Region 7: Sevilla, Bohol.
For Mindanao: Region 10: Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental; and Region 12: Tantangan, South Cotabato.
In total, 54 percent or 887 of 1,634 total cities and municipalities are under Alert Level 1.
Meanwhile, the following HUCs, and ICCs will be placed under Alert Level 2 from April 16 to 30 without prejudice to their respective component cities and municipalities:
For Luzon: Cordillera Administrative Region: Benguet and Ifugao; Region 2: Nueva Vizcaya; Region 4-A: Quezon Province; Region 4-B: Occidental Mindoro and Palawan; and Region 5: Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate, and Sorsogon.
For the Visayas: Region 6: Antique, Negros Occidental, and Iloilo Province; Region 7: Bohol, Cebu, and Negros Oriental; and Region 8: Leyte, Northern Samar and Western Samar.
For Mindanao: Region 9: City of Isabela, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga Sibugay; Region 10: Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental; Region 11: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, and Davao Occidental; Region 12: General Santos City, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato; Caraga: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte; and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Basilan, Cotabato City, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.
The Philippines recorded 1,906 new Covid-19 cases from April 4 to 10, which is 29 percent lower than the data registered the week prior, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
In its weekly bulletin released Monday, the DOH said the latest tally indicates an average of 272 new infections per day during the covered period
More than 66 million people in the country, or 74.05 percent of the government’s target population, have been vaccinated against Covid-19 while 12.4 million people have taken their booster shots. (PNA)