President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. has decided to retain the COVID-19 Alert Level System for now, but seeks to separate the alert levels from restrictions by mid-August, Malacañang said Tuesday.
In a statement, the Palace said Marcos is seeking the reclassification of restrictions that would be more compatible with the current milder strains of the coronavirus.
Currently, a higher alert level means more restrictions on the operating capacity of establishments and offices.
"To avoid confusion, we will retain the alert level system for now. We are however thinking, we are studying very closely, and we’ll come to a decision very soon as to decoupling the restrictions from the alert levels," he said during his meeting with Department of Health (DOH) Officer-In-Charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire and other Health officials on Monday.
Vergeire also agreed that mid-August is a suitable period to loosen up restrictions to give the medical community enough time to make COVID-19 cases more manageable as the more transmissible Omicron BA.5 continues to spread.
The President also noted that alert levels could be adjusted or improved if more people receive COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.
The Philippines on Monday logged 2,285 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day tally since February. It was also the fifth straight day with more than 2,000 new infections.
