MANILA — The state of calamity in the Philippines due to the COVID-19 pandemic stays until the end of the year, according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Proclamation No. 57 signed Monday.

But it may be lifted earlier than Dec. 31, or extended depending on the circumstances, the document showed.

With the extension of the state of calamity, Marcos enjoined all government agencies and local government units to "continue rendering full assistance to and cooperation with each other and mobilize the necessary resources... to curtail and eliminate the threat of COVID-19."

• Gov't extends national state of calamity possibly for 3 months

Law enforcement agencies, with the support from the military, are also directed to ensure peace and order.

According to the proclamation, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recommended the further extension of the state of calamity in the country for the continuous delivery of COVID-19 related interventions, such as the following:

• COVID-19 vaccination program
• utilization of appropriate funds, including the Quick Response Fund
• monitoring and controlling prices of basic necessities and prime commodities; and,
• provision of basic services to affected population

• Marcos recommends COVID-19 state of calamity to stay until end of 2022: DOH

On Monday, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the state of calamity has been extended "for possibly 3 months" to "preserve" the benefits under it.

Some of the benefits she mentioned include the indemnification packages, emergency procurement, and special risk allowance for health care workers.

"We will transition out of the state of calamity after further review," Cruz-Angeles said.

Then President Rodrigo Duterte placed the country under a state of calamity starting March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He extended it twice for it to be valid until Sept. 12 this year.

• Duterte rejects indemnity for vaccine makers despite signing it into law last month

Marcos, on Monday, also approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to make mask-wearing optional outdoors, as the country transitions to the new normal.

The development comes amid the presence of the more transmissible omicron variants, and the detection of monkeypox cases in the country.

The Department of Health on Monday said Philippines logged 15,379 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, or an average of 2,197 daily cases from Sept. 5 to 11.

• PH records 15,379 COVID cases, 300 deaths in past week

This is 10 percent lower compared to the previous week, according to the agency.

The country logged its first confirmed COVID-19 case on Jan. 30, 2020 in a Chinese woman who arrived from Wuhan City, China where the disease is believed to have first emerged.

Of the 3,908,295 total coronavirus infections recorded in the Philippines as of Monday, 25,262 are active cases, data from the DOH showed.

More than 72.78 million people in the country have received their primary doses of the COVID-19 vaccine since the rollout in March 2021. Of those, 18.6 million have received their booster shots.

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