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Palace sees 'high chance' of lower Metro Manila alert level

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="People stroll along the Mall of Asia by the bay on Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/10/11/20211010-moa-park-goers-gc-vu2a7631_1.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>People stroll along the Mall of Asia by the bay on Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p> MANILA — Metro Manila has a &quot;high chance&quot; of shifting to a lower alert level this week as COVID-19 figures improved, Malacañang said on Monday. </p><p>Home to some 13 million people, the capital region is under alert 4 in a 5-step system until Friday. Paired with granular lockdowns, government hopes would the set-up would spur business activity while curbing infections.</p><p>&quot;The data indicate that we are ready for a lower alert level... I would say it&#x27;s a high chance of a lowering of alert level,&quot; said Palace spokesman Harry Roque. </p><p>Metro Manila&#x27;s use of ICUs has gone down to moderate risk for first time in several months, he said in a press briefing. </p><p>The 2-week growth rate of COVID-19 in the region was at -46 percent, from -13 percent, Roque said. This refers to the percentage change in the number of new confirmed cases. </p><p>Meanwhile, the attack rate or the percentage of an at-risk population that contracts a disease has gone down to 18.31 between Sept. 27 and Oct. 10, from 33.98 from Sept. 13 to 26, he said. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1796870" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar"><div><em>Video courtesy of PTV</em></div></div><p>&quot;Meron pong datos na nagpapakita that we can lower the quarantine classification,&quot; said Roque. &quot;But kasi nga po, ang eksperimento natin dito sa Metro Manila is a pilot, kinakailangan pag-aralan muna ang resulta ng pilot.&quot;</p><p>(There is data showing we can lower the quarantine classification. But since our experiment in Metro Manila is a pilot, the results should be studied first.)</p><p>The inter-agency task force on COVID-19 will discuss this on Thursday, he said. </p><p>&quot;I would say po that the data support a reduction of the alert level, but that’s ultimately the decision of the IATF. Abangan na lang po natin (let us just wait for it),&quot; he said. </p><p>The Philippines has confirmed 2.6 million total coronavirus cases, among the highest in Asia. The tally includes at least 39,624 deaths. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/10/21/metro-manila-might-be-low-risk-for-covid-19-by-end-october-octa">Metro Manila might be &#x27;low-risk&#x27; for COVID-19 by end-October</a></li></ul>

Metro Manila has a high chance of shifting to a lower alert level this week as COVID-19 figures improved, the Palace said.