Fourteen more cities and provinces will be placed under the stricter Alert Level 3 starting January 9, as cases continue to increase in the Philippines.
Presidential secretary and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a taped briefing on Thursday that the Inter-Agency Task Force has approved the escalation of alert levels in the following areas starting January 9 to 15.
Cities:
- Dagupan City
- City of Santiago
- Olongapo City
- Angeles City
- Naga City
- Iloilo City
- Lapu-Lapu City
- Lucena City
- Baguio City
Provinces:
- Cagayan province
- Bataan
- Pampanga
- Zambales
- Batangas
The following areas join the National Capital Region, as well as the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna that are already under Alert Level 3.
Under Alert Level 3, the following establishments are not allowed to operate:
- Face-to-face classes for basic education
- Contact sports
- Funfairs/perya
- Karaoke bars, clubs, concert halls, theaters,
- Casinos, horse racing, cockfighting, operation of cockpits, lottery and betting shops, and other gaming establishments not authorized by the IATF
- Gatherings from members of different households
Meanwhile, the following indoor activities are permitted with a 30% capacity, while 50% for outdoor venues:
- Individual outdoor exercise
- Amusement parks or theme parks
- Meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions
- Wedding parties, engagements, debut, birthday parties
- Tourist attractions, such as libraries, archives, museums, parks, and more
- Cinemas
- In-person classes for higher education and technical-vocation education and training
- Recreational venues
- Dine-in services
The country on Thursday reported 17,220 new cases of COVID-19, pushing the country's total to 2,888,917.
