Manila casinos are among a range of venues permitted to operate at 50% capacity as of last Friday 5 November after the Philippine government lowered the COVID-19 alert level from Level 3 to Level 2.
According to an announcement by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, the revised alert level will initially be in place until 21 November following approval from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) last Thursday, at which time it will be reassessed. Classifications will then be assessed twice per month as the Philippines navigates its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Starting 1 December 2021, alert level assignments shall be determined at every 15th and 30th of the month,” Roque said.
“Escalations, on the other hand, may be done at any time in the middle of the implementation period as warranted while de-escalations can only be done at the end of the 2-week assessment period.”
The revised alert level for the National Capital Region (NCR) comes as new cases dropped to 2,344 nationally on Friday, down from a high of 27,887 on 9 September.
Under Alert Level 2, certain venues – including casinos, horse racing venues, cockfighting, lottery and betting shops, and other gaming establishments – can increase capacity from their previous 30% to 50% for fully vaccinated people or those aged under 18. Also able to operate at 50% are MICE venues, theme parks, tourist attractions, recreational venues, gyms, theaters, bars, clubs and more, while outdoor venues can increase capacity to 70%.
Manila’s casinos were previously granted permission to reopen to the public at 30% capacity on 16 October when the government reduced the NCR’s alert level from Level 4 to Level 3. Casinos had been closed since 6 August, although invited VIP guests had been allowed to enter from 16 September.
