Establishments in areas with high vaccination rates for senior citizens and persons with comorbidities will be allowed to operate with an additional 20 percent capacity, acting Presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
The latest guideline from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases said that areas wherein at least 70 percent of the senior citizens and immunocompromised are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can have an additional 20 percent venue/seating capacity on top of the existing allowable venue/seating capacity for both indoor and outdoor.
The resolution also said that an additional 10 percent will be allowed if the establishments have been awarded Safety Seal Certificates under the Safety Seal Certification Program.
Alert Level 2 allows 50 percent capacity indoors for fully vaccinated adults and minors, even if unvaccinated, and 70 percent capacity outdoors. Alert Level 3 has a 30 percent indoor capacity and 50 percent outdoor capacity only for fully vaccinated individuals.
Nograles said the government is trying to transition the country to the new normal by creating the National Action Plan Phase 5 before President Duterte steps down in June.
“Kasi nakapaloob po sa dokumento na yan ang (Because included in that document is the) next phase natin sa laban (of our fight) against COVID-19 which is protecting our community, protecting our people, while accelerating the economic growth ng ating bansa (of our country),” he told reporters during a virtual press briefing.
“That document plus all the accomplishments in terms of vaccination rate, in terms of compliance with the safety seal, in compliance with public minimum health standards in the establishments, all of that will be turned over to the next administration,” Nograles said in a mix of Filipino and English.
Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution 161-A placed Zamboanga City, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, and South Cotabato under Alert Level 3 while most of the rest of the country will be under Alert Level 2 until Feb. 28.
To date, the Philippines has 61.6 million fully vaccinated Filipinos against COVID-19.
The government is eyeing to fully vaccinate 77 million Filipinos by the end of March 2022 and 90 million by the end of the President’s term.
Right now, the country has started vaccinating minors as young as five years old.