The vaccination rate in an area is among the factors being looked into vis-à-vis the plan to elevate to Alert Level 1 all parts of the Philippines, a ranking National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.
During the virtual briefing for the Malacanang Press Corps on Wednesday, NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said raising to Alert Level 1 all parts of the country will greatly boost the economy’s recovery from the pandemic.
“But we do understand na kailangan mayroon tayong metrics na sinusunod kasi ayaw naman natin na mag-a-Alert Level 1 ka nga tapos hindi pa pala handa iyong lugar. Ang isang tinitingnan naming malaking bagay dito talaga ay iyong vaccination rate, especially doon sa mga elderly kasi sila talaga ang pinaka-vulnerable dito (But we do understand that we need to follow metrics because we don’t’ want to shift to Alert Level 1 but then, some areas are not yet prepared. One factor that we consider as a major factor is the vaccination rate, especially among the elderlies because they are the most vulnerable),” she said.
Edillon said they want the reopening of the economy to be sustainable and this is being done on a per province and per independent component city.
The National Capital Region (NCR) and 47 areas nationwide have been placed under Alert Level 1 from March 16-31, 2022.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has yet to announce its decision regarding the Alert Level system nationwide for the period after March 31.