DAVAO Occidental has joined the rest of the entire Davao Region to be placed under Alert Level 3, following the recent spike of active Covid-19 cases and the recently detected two Omicron variant cases in the province.

Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles announced on Thursday evening, January 27, that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) placed Davao Occidental along with Palawan, Camiguin, Davao Occidental, Dinagat Islands, Tawi-Tawi, and Sulu under Alert Level 3 from January 28 to February 15, 2022.

Nograles said the IATF has approved the escalation of alert levels in six areas in the country due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in these areas.

On January 14, Davao City was placed under Alert Level 3, followed by Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur on January 16, and Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental on January 21. These areas will be under the said alert level until January 31.

Two among the first five confirmed cases with the Omicron variant came from Davao Occidental on January 20.

As of January 27, 10 more confirmed cases tested positive for the Omicron variant, but the profile has yet to be disclosed.

Davao Occidental Governor Claude Bautista has also issued Executive Order (EO) 001, Series of 2022, imposing stricter measures against unvaccinated individuals by requiring them to present a negative Covid-19 test result and vaccination card.

Provincial Health Office Chief Dr. Anne Margaux Bautista-Quezada said the restrictions on borders are to avoid another Covid-19 surge in the province, which could overwhelm the province’s limited healthcare facilities. This was what they experienced in the third quarter of 2021 brought about by the emergence of the Delta variant in the province.

According to the Department of Health-Davao Region data, as of January 27, Davao Occidental had 242 active cases after recording 93 new cases. Total confirmed positive cases in the province was at 4,093, wherein 3,741 recovered and 110 died.

Under Level 3, prohibited activities in these areas during this period include face-to-face classes, contact sports, funfairs, karaoke and other entertainment activities.

Tourist attractions and some establishments are allowed to operate at 30-percent indoor venue capacity and 50-percent outdoor capacity.

Intrazonal and interzonal travel is also allowed but subject to restrictions that local government units will impose.