The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) announced on Wednesday, Jan. 12 the impending escalation to Alert Level 3 of a total of 28 areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Cabinet Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles provided a list of the 28 areas, which will switch status from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 3 effective Friday, Jan. 14 until Jan. 31, 2022.
"The provinces in Luzon under Alert Level 3 are as follows: Benguet, Kalinga and Abra in the Cordillera Administrative Region; La Union, Ilocos Norte and Pangasinan in Region 1; Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela and Quirino in Region 2; Nueva Ecija and Tarlac in Region 3; Quezon Province in Region 4-A; Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro in Region 4-B; and Camarines Sur and Albay in Region 5 in Luzon," Nograles said in a statement.
Over in the Visayas: Bacolod City, Aklan, Capiz and Antique in Region 6; Cebu City and Mandaue City in Region 7; and Tacloban City in Region 8 will be placed under Alert Level 3.
"In Mindanao, also under Alert Level 3 are the following: Cagayan de Oro City in Region 10; Davao City in Region 11; Butuan City and Agusan del Sur in Caraga; and Cotabato City in BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao)," the statement further read.
"All other provinces and cities not mentioned shall remain under their current alert level classification," said Nograles, who also acts as IATF spokesperson.
The general risk classification of the Philippines for the period of Jan. 1 to 15 was pegged at Alert Level 2--an offshoot of the relatively low daily coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case counts during the final quarter of 2021.
But this hasn't stopped the pandemic task force from hoisting a higher alert level in local government units (LGUs) where there have been a high occurrence of COVID-19 infections as a result of the current surge.
The first to have its risk classification elevated from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 3 this year was the National Capital Region (NCR), which had the adjustment on Jan. 3.
Since then, its nearby provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna have all switched to Alert Level 3.
Fourteen areas outside the NCR-plus were also previously escalated to Alert Level 3, which is the mid-tier classification under the Alert Level System (ALS) for COVID-19 response.
The IATF is expected to hold a meeting Thursday, Jan. 13 to discuss the alert level of other areas in the country for the period Jan. 16 to 31.