Say goodbye to the region-wide quarantine clarifications that became household terms when the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic first struck the country last year.
This, after President Duterte ordered the nationwide implementation of the Alert Level System (ALS) for COVID-19 Response, or simply ALS.
Malacañang reporters received a copy of Executive Order (EO) No. 151 Thursday afternoon, Nov. 11 which placed the directive in effect. The Chief Executive signed the four-page order the same day.
Click here to read a guide on the five-tier ALS, which replaced the quarantine classifications of old. The old system described risk levels for COVID-19 in a given region using terms like enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for escalated risk, and general community quarantine (GCQ) for low risk.
According to the EO, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) had recommended to the Office of the President the nationwide adoption of ALS through a "phased nationwide rollout" as stated in its Resolutiom No.146-F (s. 2021) dated Oct. 28, 2021.
The ALS was initially piloted in the National Capital Region (NCR) as a way to help jumpstart the economy particularly during the critical fourth and final quarter of the year. The pilot implementation of the scheme had been expanded twice to cover NCR, Region III, IV-A, VI, VII, X, and XI.
"While the current community quarantine classification system under the omnibus guidelines has proven crucial in preventing the further spread of COVID-19 in the country. The cumulative impact of the prohibitions and regulations under that system on social, economic and other non-COVID-19 health objectives cannot be overlooked," EO No.151 read.
"The nationwide shift to the would allow for the reinvigoration of the economy through the opening of more sectors, while protecting the people's health through the continuous observance of public health protocols and interventions and the heightened implementation of lockdowns in smaller areas, also known as granular lockdowns," it added.
The phased nationwide rollout of ALS will have four phases. The ongoing ALS enforcement in NCR, Region III, IV-A, VI, VII, X, and XI will be considered the first phase.
The other regions shall follow in the succeeding phases, as per EO No.151:
-Phase 2: Region I, VII, and XII;
-Phase 3: Region II, V, IX; and
-Phase 4: Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region IV-B, Region XIII (Caraga), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
"The shift to Phase 2 may begin at any time after the effectivity of this order, as may be determined by the IATF, but not later than the end of Nov. 2021. The succeeding phases shall then commence every week thereafter until full nationwide implementation," the directive read.
It further stated that the pilot phase guidelines for ALS will be adopted for the nationwide rollout.
"The said guidelines shall be renamed accordingly to reflect its new status. The IATF is hereby authorized to amend or modify such guidelines as may be necessary to achieve the objectives of the ALS, without need of further approval of the President," it stated.