MANILA (UPDATED) - Metro Manila will be placed under Alert Level 3 from January 3-15, 2022 following an increase in COVID-19 cases and the high possibility of the local transmission of the highly infectious omicron variant, acting Palace spokesman Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles announced Friday night.

“Nakita naman natin sa mga nakaraang araw na nag-increase exponentially ang mga kaso dahil sa holiday activities kung saan tumaas ang movement ng mga tao, at bumaba ang compliance sa Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS),” Nograles said.

(We saw that in the past days, COVID-19 cases increased exponentially because of holiday activities where the movement of people went up, and the compliance of people with Minimum Public Health Standards went down.)

“Isa rin sa dahilan ang detection ng local cases ng omicron variant," he added. "The epidemiological investigation on the 3 local cases indicates there is high possibility of local transmission ng omicron."

(Another reason is the detection of local cases of the omicron variant.)

The Department of Health on Friday reported 10 new omicron cases, with 3 of them being local cases. Overall, the Philippines has recorded 14 cases of what is believed to be a more contagious variant.

Under Alert Level 3, the following activities are not allowed:

• Face-to-face classes
• Contact sports
• Fun fairs/peryas
• Live voice/wind instrument performances.

Cinemas will still be allowed to operate at 30% indoor capacity and 50% outdoor capacity.

The following are allowed at 30% indoor capacity but only for fully vaccinated individuals:

• Amusement parks
• Recreational venues
• Religious gatherings
• Licensure exams
• Dine-in services
• Personal care services
• Fitness studios, non-contact sports
• Film, music, TV production

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Nograles added that the IATF has tasked a technical working group to establish guidelines on stricter measures for unvaccinated individuals.

“Lahat ng ahensya, tagapagpatupad sa mga alintuntuning ito ay inaatasang tiyakin na masusunod ang MPHS lalo na sa closed at crowded spaces at close-contact activities,” he said.

(All agencies and enforcers of these guidelines are tasked with ensuring that Minimum Public Health Standards are obeyed, especially at closed and crowded spaces and close-contact activities.)