The government is studying placing select areas of the country under Alert Level 1 or the "new normal", Malacañang said Tuesday as fewer COVID-19 infections are detected daily.
The government's inter-agency task force on COVID-19 response is set to finalize within the week the qualifications for the de-escalation of COVID restrictions the country, Cabinet Sec. Karlo Nograles said.
"Pinag-aaralan ng mga eksperto ang pag-de-escalate sa Alert Level 1 ng ilang mga piling lugar," Nograles told reporters.
"Pagdedesisyunan po ng IATF kung ano yung magiging final na requirements natin for any area in the Philippines to be placed under Alert Level 1," he added.
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Earlier, Health Sec. Francisco Duque III said a province should have at least an 80% vaccination rate for senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities to qualify for de-escalation to Alert Level 1.
This is on top of the earlier approved requirement of at least a 70% vaccination rate for the target population.
Metro Manila mayors are set to meet Tuesday to discuss the possible shift to Alert Level 1 by March.
COVID-19 cases in the Philippines have been on a decline since the Omicron-fueled surge at the start of the year. On Monday, 1,427 new COVID-19 infections were reported, setting a new record low for 2022.