Catbalogan seeks alert level downgrade

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — The local government unit of Catbalogan City in Samar has urged its residents to get vaccinated against COVID to get the approval of the national pandemic task force for an alert level downgrade.

The city has remained under Alert Level 2 because only 40 of the 70 percent target population has been vaccinated.

The business sector agreed to impose a no-vaccination card, no-entry policy in all establishments to convince residents to be inoculated against the viral illness.

The city health office is also  conducting a house-to-house vaccination campaign.

Mayor Dexter Uy said he is optimistic that the city would be downgraded to Alert Level 1 by April 16.

Thirty-two more areas in Eastern Visayas were placed under Alert Level 1 from April 1 to 15.

Among these areas are Biliran, the cities of Tacloban, Ormoc and Baybay as well as Albuera, Dulag, Matag-ob, Palo and Tunga in Leyte.

Also under Alert Level 1 are Anahawan, Hinundayan, Libagon, Limasawa, Maasin City, Macrohon, Padre Burgos and Pintuyan in Southern Leyte.

Borongan City and the towns of Arteche, Balangkayan, Can-Avid, Jipapad, Maydolong, Salcedo, San Policarpio, Sulat and Taft in Eastern Samar; Capul, Lapinig, Lavezares, San Antonio, San Jose and Victoria in Northern Samar, and Marabut, and Pagsanghan in Western Samar are also under the most lenient alert level.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said low and decreasing transmission of the virus and less than 50 percent bed utilization rate are among the criteria for the downgrading of the alert level.

At least 70 percent of the eligible population, including senior citizens, should also be fully vaccinated.