The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has placed Bacolod City and Negros Oriental under COVID-19 Alert Level 4 from November 1 to 14, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque announced Friday, October 29.
Alert Level 4 refers to areas where case counts are high or increasing, and where the total bed and intensive care unit utilization rate is high, the IATF said.
Meanwhile, the IATF placed Negros Occidental under Alert Level 2.
Bacolod City and Negros Oriental, along with Aurora and Davao Occidental that are under the highest alert level of four have been tagged as areas for special monitoring, Roque said.
Em Ang, Bacolod Emergency Operations Center executive director, said under Alert Level 4 all minors cannot go out. Under the previous General Community Quarantine with Heightened Alert minors 15 years old and below could not go out, while under Alert Level 4 all those below 18 years old must stay home, Ang said.
Bacolod City officials will meet with the Department of Interior and Local Government officers Saturday, October 30, to discuss the Alert Level 4 guidelines, she said.
The IATF guidelines for areas under Alert Level 4 issued earlier state that:
- Persons not allowed outside of their residences are those below 18 years old, those who are over 65 of age, those with immunodeficiencies, comorbidities, or other health risks, and pregnant women; provided, that they be allowed access to obtain essential goods and services, or for work in permitted industries and offices.
- Intrazonal and interzonal travel for persons not otherwise required to remain at their residences may be allowed subject to the reasonable regulations of the LGU of destination.
- Individual outdoor exercises will be allowed for all ages regardless of comorbidities or vaccination status but should be limited within the general area of their residence, within the barangay, purok, subdivision, and/or village. Minimum public health standards and precautions such as the wearing of face masks, and the maintenance of social distancing protocols must be observed.
- The following establishments and/or activities characterized as high-risk for transmission will not be allowed to operate, or be undertaken in areas classified under Alert level 4:
- Indoor visitor or tourist attractions, libraries, archives, museums, galleries, and cultural shows and exhibits;
- Indoor venues for meetings, incentives, conferences, events (MICE);
- Indoor entertainment venues such as cinemas, and venues with live performers such as karaoke bars, bars, clubs, concert halls, and theaters;
- Outdoor and indoor amusement parks or theme parks, funfairs/peryas, kid amusement industries such as playgrounds, playrooms, and kiddie rides;
- Indoor recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, bowling alleys, and similar venues;
- Indoor limited face to face or in-person classes, examinations, and other education-related activities at all levels, except those previously approved by the IATF and/or of the Office of the President;
- Casinos, horse racing, cockfighting and operation of cockpits, lottery and betting shops, and other gaming establishments except as may be authorized by the IATF or the Office of the President;
- Social events such as but not limited to concerts and parties, wedding receptions, engagement parties, wedding anniversaries, debut and birthday parties, family reunions, and bridal or baby showers, parades, processions, motorcades, and gatherings at residences with any person outside of one’s immediate household;
- Indoor sports courts or venues, fitness studios, gyms, spas or other indoor leisure centers or facilities, and swimming pools;
- All contact sports, except those conducted under a bubble-type setup as provided for under relevant guidelines adopted by the IATF, and approved by the LGU where such games shall be held;
- Personal care services, which include medical aesthetic clinics, cosmetic or derma clinics, make-up salons, reflexology, aesthetics, wellness, and holistic centers, and other similar establishments; acupuncture and electrocautery establishments, and massage therapy including sports therapy establishments. It also includes establishments providing tanning services, body piercings, tattooing, and similar services. Home service for these activities are likewise not permitted; and
- Specialized markets of the Department of Tourism such as Staycations.
- Outdoor or al fresco dine-in services in restaurants and eateries will be allowed at a maximum of 30 percent venue/seating capacity regardless of vaccination status. Indoor dine-in services may be allowed at a limited 10 percent venue/seating capacity but will cater only to individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in addition to their allowed outdoor or al fresco capacity.
All workers/employees of these establishments must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
LGUs, where these restaurants and eateries are located, may decrease the allowable venue capacity.
- Personal care services limited to barbershops, hair spas, nail spas, and beauty salons will be allowed at a maximum of 30 percent venue/seating capacity if such services are conducted outdoors regardless of vaccination status. These establishments are allowed to operate at a limited 10 percent indoor venue/seating capacity but may only cater to individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in addition to their allowed outdoor capacities. Clients and service providers must wear face masks at all times.
All workers/employees of these establishments must also be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
- In-person religious gatherings should be allowed at a maximum of thirty percent venue/seating capacity if conducted outdoors regardless of vaccination status. These gatherings may be allowed at a limited 10 percent venue/seating capacity but may accommodate only individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in addition to their allowed outdoor capacities.
Pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, or other religious ministers and the assistants of these religious congregations must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Processions and other similar mobile religious gatherings will not be allowed.
- Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 will be allowed, provided that they are limited to immediate family members, upon satisfactory proof of their relationship with the deceased and with full compliance with the prescribed minimum public health standards.
- Except those located in areas covered by granular lockdowns, all other establishments, or activities not otherwise specified will be allowed to operate at 100 percent on-site or venue/seating capacity, provided they implement the minimum public health standards. However, they are encouraged to operate with a minimal on-site capacity necessary to implement full operations, while applying work-from-home and other flexible work arrangements.
10. Agencies and instrumentalities of the government will remain fully operational and should adhere to at least 20 percent on-site capacity while applying work-from-home and other flexible work arrangements.*