Mobility in Metro Manila comparable to Alert Level 4 amid Omicron threat, says OCTA

The independent research group OCTA said the mobility in Metro Manila at present is comparable to the movement of people in October 2021, based on the Google Mobility Trends.
" retail and transit mobility in the NCR (National Capital Region) increased significantly during the last quarter of 2021. Since Jan. 3, 2022, then the NCR was placed under Alert Level 3, Google Mobility data showed that the current mobility data in the NCR is comparable to mobility under Alert Level 4 (from Oct. 1 to 15, 2021)," OCTA Research Fellow Dr. Guido David said in a tweet on Tuesday evening, Jan. 11.
"The NCR is, practically speaking, under Alert Level 4," he added, noting that the public may have already responded to the threat of Omicron variant of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the exponential increase in COVID-19 cases.
The 17 mayors in Metro Manila on Monday, Jan. 10, have agreed that there is still no need yet to raise the alert level from 3 to 4 despite the surge in COVID-19 cases. Metro Manila will remain under Alert Level 3 until Jan. 15.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Jan. 11 reported 28,007 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country's running tally of confirmed cases to 3,026,473.
David said that 15,445 of the newly-reported cases were from Metro Manila.
"This represents 55 percent of the country's total, indicating a relative increase in cases outside the NCR," he said.
"With 5,976 in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) and 3,102 in Central Luzon, 88 percent of cases were from NCR, III (Central Luzon), and IV-A (Calabarzon)," he pointed out.
Moreover, David noted that there are signs that COVID-19 infections in Metro Manila have slowed down, however, "right, now, it is not yet clear if the peak will happen this week or next week."