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MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday said the chances were slim that the country will be locked down again after the May 9 elections.

There have been fears over a COVID-19 surge because of loosened restrictions and mass gathering in the campaign season.

But Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said the public should fear nothing if they are vaccinated and minimum health protocols are observed.

"So, confident din tayo na kung kasama iyong minimum public health standard at mataas ang vaccination ng area, fully vaccinated rates nila, including the vaccination of our senior citizens, eh malamang hindi magkakaroon ng lockdown," Cabotaje said in a media briefing.

• Duterte tells voters to follow COVID health protocols to avoid surge post-polls

"Hindi naman significant ang mga increase ng cases. Although, we should not be putting our guards down, tuluy-tuloy pa rin ang pag-monitor natin ng ating mga kaso."

Should there be a spike in COVID-19 cases in some areas, only granular lockdowns will be implemented, she said.

The Philippines reported 184 new cases on Friday, fewer than 200 cases for the 4th straight day, ABS-CBN Data Analytics head Edson Guido said.

The 8,389 active COVID-19 cases on Friday were the lowest since May 11, 2020, he added.

The DOH earlier warned that Metro Manila could record up to 446,000 COVID-19 cases by mid-May if people violated health protocols, given the increasing election-related activities.

• DOH urges COVID patients to stay home on election day

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this week called on the public to adhere to minimum health protocols because of the expected crowding at schools on election day.

The capital region and dozens of areas will be under the loosest Alert Level 1 until May 15.