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'We can give it a try': DOH to monitor reopening of cinemas at limited capacity

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="People lining up for the COVID-19 vaccine wait at a cinema inside SM Manila on June 22, 2021. After the city reported low turnouts in vaccination sites following the ban on walk-in clients, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno issued a directive around 4:30pm yesterday to re-allow walk-ins to boost vaccination drives in the capital. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/tvpatrol/10/12/covid-vaccine-sm-manila-gc-0901.jpg"/><figcaption>People lining up for the COVID-19 vaccine wait at a cinema inside SM Manila on June 22, 2021. After the city reported low turnouts in vaccination sites following the ban on walk-in clients, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno issued a directive around 4:30pm yesterday to re-allow walk-ins to boost vaccination drives in the capital. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - The Department of Health will monitor the reopening of cinemas following Metro Manila&#x27;s de-escalation of COVID-19 restrictions to Alert Level 3.</p><p>Movie theaters may reopen at a limited capacity of 30 percent once the capital region shifts to Alert Level 3 on Saturday.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/11/21/cinemas-back-limited-resumption-under-alert-level-3">Cinemas back limited resumption under Alert Level 3, say over 300k workers lost jobs</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/13/21/metro-manila-eases-to-covid-19-alert-level-3">Metro Manila on COVID-19 Alert Level 3 from Oct. 16 to 31</a></li></ul><p>&quot;They&#x27;re doing vaccinations now in cinemas. For as long as the minimum health public standards are followed, we can give it a try then monitor if there’s going to be an unusual increase of cases if and when the cinemas are opened. But again this is controlled, regulated to about 30 percent,&quot; Health Secretary Francisco Duque told ANC&#x27;s Headstart.</p><p>Metro Manila&#x27;s alert level was downgraded as its healthcare utilization rate was considered as a &quot;low risk&quot; 50.92 percent, its intensive care unit occupancy at a &quot;moderate risk&quot; 66 percent, according to Duque.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s a tough balancing act between health and livelihood. That’s been a constant challenge to all of us. We&#x27;re sensitive to both but not to the exclusion of either. These are not mutually-exclusive propositions,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;The system calls for monitoring on a daily basis. No worries, we are nimble naman. We can always escalate.&quot;</p><p>The health department earlier confirmed that the decline in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila was &quot;not artificial.&quot;</p><p>Government might relax restrictions by Christmas should virus cases continue to drop, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said after confirming that the decline in infections was &quot;not artificial.&quot;</p><p>President Rodrigo Duterte said he was confident that major cities nationwide would have vaccinated half of their target population before 2021 is over.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/12/21/duterte-sees-major-cities-hitting-christmas-vaxx-target">Duterte ‘confident’ vaccination target of major cities will be met before Christmas</a></li></ul><p>The country has fully vaccinated some 23.54 million Filipinos, while 26.94 million have received their first dose as of Tuesday, according to government data.</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=1799208" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The Department of Health will monitor the reopening of cinemas following Metro Manila's de-escalation of COVID-19 restrictions to Alert Level 3.