Apayao under Alert Level 3, other areas under Alert Level 2
(Eagle News) — Metro Manila will remain under an alert level 2 until December 15.
According to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the following will also be under the alert level for the same period:
- Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Basilan, Cotabato City, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao.
- Cordillera Administrative Region: Benguet, Abra, Kalinga, Baguio City, Mountain Province, and Ifugao;
- Region I: Dagupan City, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, La Union, and Pangasinan;
- Region II: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and City of Santiago;
- Region III: Angeles City, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Zambales, and Tarlac;
- Region IV-A: Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, and Lucena City;
- Region IV-B: Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa City, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan;
- Region V: Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Naga City;
- Region VI: Aklan, Antique, Bacolod City, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Iloilo City, and Negros Occidental;
- Region VII: Bohol, Cebu, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor;
- Region VIII: Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, Tacloban City, and Western Samar;
- Region IX: City of Isabela, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay;
- Region X: Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental;
- Region XI: Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental;
- Region XII: General Santos City, North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat;
- Region XIII (Caraga) Butuan City, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Agusan del Norte
Meanwhile, Apayao will be under an Alert Level 3.
Under the alert level, some establishments and activities are allowed, with a 50 percent capacity indoors for fully vaccinated adults and a 70 percent capacity outdoors.
Governments around the globe are on heightened alert following the discovery of a new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, found to have more mutations than the other COVID-19 variants.
Delta has been found to have two mutations, while the Beta variant has three.
Researchers at the Bambino Gesu hospital in Rome, Italy have released a three-dimensional image of the Omicron variant, which shows that the mutations were concentrated in one area of the protein that interacts with human cells.
The researchers said this means that the virus “has further adapted to the human species by generating another variant.”
