PHILIPPINES— The government’s COVID-19 task force has placed the National Capital Region (NCR) under Alert Level 3 from January 3 to 15, 2022 following the sharp increase in new coronavirus infections in the country.

At a press briefing in Davao City, acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) made the decision as they projected cases to further increase in the coming days.

He also cited the high possibility of the local transmission of the Omicron variant.

Under Alert Level 3, several establishments will be allowed to operate at 30% indoor venue capacity only for fully vaccinated individuals and 50% outdoor venue capacity, provided that all employees are fully vaccinated.

After a whole month of reporting less than 1,000 daily infections per day, the Philippines on Thursday logged 1,623 new cases.

This further increased to 2,961 new infections on Friday. — VBL, GMA News