Metro Manila to remain at Alert Level 2 until December 15

Due to the new Omicron Covid-19 strain, authorities in The Philippines have decided to add new countermeasures and retain the capital city of Manila under Alert Level 2.

The Philippines.- With the appearance of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, the government of The Philippines has decided to keep the city of Metro Manila under Alert Level 2. The alert level has been in place since November 5 and will continue until at least December 15.

The country also announced new border restrictions. Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy, as well as African countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Lesotho, have been placed on the red list and visitors will not be allowed to enter until December 15.

The country has also revised its plan to allow fully vaccinated non-visa countries nationals to enter its “green” list, which was originally scheduled to take effect on December 1.

Presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles stated: “Inbound international travel of all persons, regardless of vaccination status, coming from or who have been to red list countries within the last 14 days prior to arrival to any port of the Philippines, shall not be allowed.”

Casinos in Metro Manila will continue operating on a limited basis. In the first week of November, City of Dreams Manila announced it had increased its casino gaming floor capacity from 75 per cent to 90 per cent.