MANILA - Metro Manila and 38 other areas will be placed under Alert Level 1, the least restrictive in a 5-tier COVID quarantine system, beginning March 1, triggering guidelines for the "new normal," Malacañang said on Sunday.

• READ: DOH says NCR, other regions OK for Alert Level 1 amid high vaccination rate

The COVID-19 task force also approved placing several provinces and cities in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 1, 2, 3, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, VII, IX, and XI under Alert Level 1 from March 1 to 15, acting Palace Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles added.

Here is the complete list of said provinces and cities:

Cordillera Administrative Region

• Abra
• Apayao
• Baguio City
• Kalinga

Region I

• Dagupan City
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• La Union
• Pangasinan

Region II

• Batanes
• Cagayan
• City of Santiago
• Isabela
• Quirino

Region III

• Angeles City
• Aurora
• Bataan
• Bulacan
• Olongapo City
• Pampanga
• Tarlac

Region IV-A

• Cavite
• Laguna

Region IV-B

• Marinduque
• Puerto Princesa City
• Romblon

Region V

• Naga City
• Catanduanes

Region VI

• Aklan
• Bacolod City
• Capiz
• Guimaras

Region VII

• Siquijor

Region VIII

• Biliran

Region IX

• Zamboanga City

Region X

• Cagayan de Oro City
• Camiguin

Region XI

• Davao City

Meanwhile, the following areas were placed under Alert Level 2 from March 1 to 15:

Cordillera Administrative Region

• Benguet
• Ifugao
• Mountain Province

Region II

• Nueva Vizcaya

Region III

• Nueva Ecija
• Zambales

Region IV-A

• Batangas
• Lucena City
• Quezon Province
• Rizal

Region IV-B

• Occidental Mindoro
• Oriental Mindoro
• Palawan

Region V

• Albay
• Camarines Norte
• Camarines Sur
• Masbate
• Sorsogon

Region VI

• Antique
• Iloilo City
• Iloilo Province
• Negros Occidental

Region VII

• Bohol
• Cebu Province
• Cebu City
• Lapu-Lapu City
• Mandaue City
• Negros Oriental

Region VIII

• Eastern Samar
• Leyte
• Northern Samar
• Ormoc City
• Southern Leyte
• Tacloban City
• Western Samar

Region IX

• City of Isabela
• Zamboanga del Sur
• Zamboanga del Norte
• Zamboanga Sibugay

Region X

• Bukidnon
• Iligan City
• Lanao del Norte
• Misamis Occidental
• Misamis Oriental

Region XI

• Davao De Oro
• Davao Del Sur
• Davao Del Norte
• Davao Oriental
• Davao Occidental

Region XII

• General Santos City
• North Cotabato
• Sarangani
• South Cotabato
• Sultan Kudarat

Region XIII (CARAGA)

• Surigao del Norte
• Surigao del Sur
• Agusan del Norte
• Agusan del Sur
• Butuan City
• Dinagat Islands

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Basilan

• Maguindanao
• Sulu
• Tawi-Tawi
• Cotabato City
• Lanao Del Sur

Mayors of the capital region, home to some 13 million people, earlier urged the COVID-19 task force to put it under Alert Level 1.

• READ: Metro Manila 'ready' for Alert Level 1: MMDA

This was backed by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who said the region is already "ripe" for the loosest COVID-19 quarantine restriction.

• READ: Metro Manila 'ripe' for COVID-19 Alert Level 1, based on metrics: Duque

Restrictions on public health and transportation will be lifted once the country shifts to a new normal system, in line with the protocol under Alert Level 1, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire had said.

This means that public transport and establishments would be allowed to serve at capacity.

Under the quarantine level, the public may still be required to wear anti-virus masks and observe physical distancing, Nograles earlier said.

• READ: Philippines finalizing 'roadmap' for COVID-19 Alert 1

Government experts earlier revised the metrics of placing an area under Alert Level 1, which includes low to minimal risk case classification, the full vaccination of 70 percent of its target population and 80 percent of the eligible members of the elderly sector.

The country logged less than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases in the past 8 days, data showed.

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