IATF studying NCR proposal for face-to-face classes

MANILA, Philippines — The government’s pandemic task force would look into the proposal of Metro Manila mayors to hold in-person classes in each city, Malacañang said yesterday.

On Thursday, Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said mayors of the capital region were urging the government to allow at least one school in each city to join the pilot run of face-to-face classes.

Metro Manila, the country’s economic center, recorded a weekly average of 11,786 COVID-19 infections from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, an improvement from the 17,617 logged from Sept. 23 to 29. The region, however, still has 24,400 active cases as of Oct. 8, according to official data.

Experts from OCTA Research have said Metro Manila is still at high risk based on indicators like hospital and intensive care unit bed utilization and average daily attack rate or the number of new infections in an area over a two-week period, divided by the population of that area.

“We never disregarded the appeals and recommendations of Metro Manila mayors because they are the ones implementing the policies of the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases). So, we will listen to them,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said at a public briefing last Friday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire recently said Metro Manila may be included in the pilot face-to-face classes if the number of infections in the region and its hospital utilization rate go down and if it is downgraded to Alert Level 2.

“But to clarify, we are not talking about large areas. For example, in the National Capital Region, if there is a school in a barangay that is low risk, even if NCR is under Alert Level 4, it can also be included. But for now, we are studying it thoroughly,” she added.

Metro Manila is under Alert Level 4, the second most stringent classification in the government’s new quarantine system, until Oct. 15.

Pilot in-person classes will start on Nov. 15 and will cover 120 schools.