President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has formally lifted the COVID-19 state of public health emergency status throughout the country.

The declaration was enclosed in Proclamation Order 297 dated July 21 but released on July 22.

“Although COVID-19 remains to be a serious concern for certain subpopulations and requires continued public health response, the country has maintained sufficient health care system capacity and low hospital bed utilization rates even after the liberalization of Covid-19 health protocols,” the President said in the order.

Marcos also cited that there has been a continued increase of immunization, declining COVID-19 cases, and ease of COVID-19 health and safety protocols in the country.

With the lifting of the status, the President directed that “all prior orders, memoranda, and issuances that are effective only during the State of Public Health Emergency shall be deemed withdrawn, revoked or canceled and shall no longer be in effect.”

But he noted that emergency use authorization (EUA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will remain valid for one year in a bid to exhaust the remaining COVID-19 vaccines.

Marcos also mandated all government agencies to ensure that “their policies, rules, and regulations will take into consideration the lifting of the state of public health emergency and to amend existing or promulgate issuance, as may be appropriate.”

Proclamation 297 was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin for the President.

The public health emergency in the Philippines was lifted two months after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of COVID-19 global health emergency status.

On March 8, 2020, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte placed the entire country under a public health emergency after a local transmission of COVID-19 virus has been confirmed.