MMC urges IATF: Alert Level 1 for NCR starting March 1
THE Metro Manila Council (MMC) has recommended to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to place the National Capital Region (NCR) under COVID-19 Alert Level 1 starting March 1.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Officer-in-Charge and General Manager Atty. Romando Artes said all metro mayors, through MMDA Resolution No. 22-06 (series of 2022), unanimously agreed to de-escalate the capital region to Alert Level 1 by next month.
“The resolution was already sent to the IATF. The basis of the MMC to ease the restrictions in the region is to open up the economy to ensure job generation,” Artes said during the press briefing at the MMDA headquarters in Makati City on Wednesday.
“The NCR’s positivity rate for COVID-19 is now at 4.64 percent, way below the 5 percent standard of the World Health Organization,” he added.
As of February 20, the DOH Health Care Capacity Utilization Status in the NCR shows that the Health Care Utilization Rate (HCUR) and COVID-19 Bed Utilization Rate in the region are both on a downward trend and equally stand at 24.8%.
Also, Artes assured that the local chief executives of the NCR are ready and fully capable of implementing the IATF-prescribed health and safety protocols under COVID-19 Alert Level 1.
He added that despite the conduct of political activities such as motorcades and caravans, no notable spike of COVID cases were recorded in the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, Artes announced that the agency is studying the possibility of implementing a modified Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or number coding scheme during rush hour in the morning. At present, the number coding is implemented on weekdays, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., except holidays, and only covers private vehicles.
“We are studying to widen the coverage of our modified number coding scheme from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. I have met with the district heads of our Traffic Discipline Office. Based on their assessment, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., [the] light traffic situation is observed on major thoroughfares,” Artes said.
He disclosed that the MMDA does not want to impose the number coding for the whole day due to lack of public transportation.
