Davao City will experience further easing of movement restrictions now that the city is under Alert 2 from November 15 to 30 due to the continuous downward trend of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.
On Saturday, November 13, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced in a press statement that Davao City will be placed under Alert Level 2 with more relaxed restrictions from November 15 to November 30.
Based on the new implementation of the Alert Level System (ALS) of the Inter-agency Task Force for the management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID), Alert Level 2 refers to areas where 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.
Meanwhile, speaking during the Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Monday, Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte said she is hoping that the current COVID-19 situation in the city will continue to improve.
“Karong adlawa nabutang ta sa Alert Level 2 hangtod November 30 and gikan ta sa Alert Level 3 and continuing atong downtrend of cases. Looking good ang mga hospitals nato sa pagkakaron. Naa nalang isa ka hospital nga nagamit ang iyang isa ka ICU and then everyone is in SPMC ang mga cases nato sa COVID-19 (Today, we were placed under Alert Level 2 until November 30 from Alert Level 3. We continue to record a downtrend of cases here. The status of our hospitals is looking good for now although there is a hospital wherein one of their ICU rooms was used but the rest of the COVID-19 cases are in the Southern Philippine Medical Center),” Duterte said.
She added, “I think it is safe to say na it will be a Merry Christmas for Davao City.”
On November 14, Davao City’s new cases were 11, which brings the total number of active cases to 450.
On the other hand, the city is already nearly breaching the one million mark for the first dose of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine with 941,537 vaccines administered while 866,098 have been inoculated with the second dose since the vaccination rollout in March this year.
“Maong makasulti ko basin dako ang chances nga ma-Merry Christmas ta this year it’s because of paspas nga pagbaba sa COVID-19 cases and pag-adjust pod sa atoang Alert Levels (That is why I can say that there is a huge chance that we will have a Merry Christmas because of the low COVID-19 cases and adjustments in our alert levels),” the city mayor said.
One of the biggest factors for the significant drop of COVID-19 cases in the city, Duterte said, is the high rate of vaccinated individuals, which further proved that vaccines are effective in fighting the virus. She said in the past, cases surged despite the lockdowns implemented in different areas of the city.
With the holiday season drawing near, which is expected to spur an influx of people in malls, she continued to remind the public to remain vigilant and continue to observe the minimum public standard like wearing masks, frequent hand hygiene, maintaining social distancing, and avoiding crowded places even as they get vaccinated.
ALERT LEVEL 2 GUIDELINES
Under the Alert Level 2 guidelines, the intrazonal and interzonal movement shall be allowed. However, reasonable restrictions may be imposed by the local government units (LGUs), which should not be stricter as those prescribed under higher alert levels and subject to the oversight, monitoring, and evaluation of their respective RIATF.
Some establishments or activities shall be allowed to operate or be undertaken at a maximum of 50% indoor venue capacity for fully vaccinated individuals and those below 18 years of age, even if unvaccinated, and 70% outdoor venue capacity, provided, that all workers/employees of these establishments are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and MPHS shall be strictly maintained.
These establishments and activities include venues for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE); Permitted venues for social events such as parties, wedding receptions, engagement parties, wedding anniversaries, debut and birthday parties, family reunions, and bridal or baby showers; Visitor or tourist attractions such as libraries, archives, museums, galleries, exhibits, parks, plazas, public gardens, scenic viewpoints or overlooks, and the like; Amusement parks or theme parks; Recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, bowling alleys, skating rinks, archery halls, swimming pools, and similar venues.
Other establishments and activities that are allowed to be undertaken with limited capacity are cinemas and movie houses; limited face-to-face or in-person classes for basic education subject to prior approval of the Office of the President; Limited face-to-face or in-person classes for higher education and technical-vocational education and training; In-person religious gatherings; gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 and for the remains of the COVID-19 deceased; Licensure or entrance/qualifying examinations administered by their respective government agency, and specialty examinations authorized by the IATF subject to the health and safety guidelines as approved by the IATF.
Also, under the new alert level, dine-in services of food preparation establishments such as kiosks, commissaries, restaurants, and eateries, subject to DTI sector-specific protocols are allowed to operate; personal care establishments such as barbershops, hair spas, hair salons, and nail spas, and those offering aesthetic/cosmetic services or procedures, make-up services, salons, spas, reflexology, and other similar procedures including home service options, subject to the sector-specific protocols of the DTI.
Fitness studios, gyms, and venues for individual non-contact exercise and sports will also be allowed to start catering to clients provided that patrons/clients and workers/employees wear face masks at all times and are subject to DTI sector-specific protocols. Film, music, and television production subject to the joint guidelines as may be issued by the DTI, DOLE, and the DOH; Contact sports approved by the LGU where such games shall be held; Funfairs/peryas or kid amusement industries such as playgrounds, playroom, and kiddie rides; Venues with live voice or wind-instrument performers and audiences such as in karaoke bars, clubs, concert halls, and theaters; and gatherings in residences with individuals not belonging to the same household.
The IATF guidelines also state that agencies and instrumentalities of the government shall remain to be fully operational and shall adhere to at least 50% on-site capacity while applying work-from-home and other flexible work arrangements.CIO
