Policy barring unjabbed from public transport to be lifted MANILA: The Philippines is easing COVID-19 rules in Metro Manila from Feb. 1 amid a steady decline in infections, officials said on Sunday. Restrictions in the National Capital Region — home to 13 million Filipinos — had been tightened in early January following the first case of the highly transmissible omicron variant in the country. Presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles on Sunday announced that the COVID-19 alert for Metro Manila and seven other provinces will be lowered from level three to level two — the second lowest in the pandemic alert level system — from Tuesday. Other areas where curbs will ease are Batanes, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal in Luzon, Bilirana and Southern Leyte in the Visayas, and Basilan in Mindanao. “The Inter-Agency Task Force has placed the National Capital Region and seven other provinces under alert level two beginning Feb. 1,” Nograles said in a statement after the capital’s risk classification was lowered to “moderate.” Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told reporters that the government decided to downgrade the alert level in Metro Manila because “the region’s COVID-19 situation was improving.” He added: “We can see that COVID-19 cases are really going down. Now we can resume our economic activities.” BACKGROUND Restrictions in the National Capital Region — home to 13 million Filipinos — had been tightened in early January following the first case of the highly transmissible omicron variant in the country. The COVID-19 alert for Metro Manila and seven other provinces will be lowered from level three to level two — the second lowest in the pandemic alert level system — from Tuesday. Amid the easing of restrictions from Tuesday, the capital region will also lift its “no vaccination, no ride” policy that barred unvaccinated people from using public transport. “Once we de-escalate to alert level two, the policy shall automatically be lifted,” Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran said in a press release. The ban, which has been in place since mid-January, covered all domestic travel by land, air and sea. Under alert level two, certain establishments and activities must follow a 50 percent maximum capacity rule indoors for fully vaccinated adults (and minors, even if unvaccinated), and a 70 percent guideline for outdoors. In-person school classes and indoor entertainment, such as karaoke bars and amusement venues, are also allowed under the new guidelines.