The Government is moving Metro Manila, together with some areas, to Alert Level 2 from February 1 to 15. This means the “No Vaccination, No Ride” policy will no longer be in effect.
“No vaccine, no ride” policy and other restrictions intended to limit the mobility of unvaccinated commuters would be lifted,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said on Sunday.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has already made the announcement that Metro Manila, as well as the provinces of Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal, Batanes, Biliran, Southern Leyte, and Basilan, will revert to Alert Level 2 beginning on Tuesday. This means unvaccinated individuals may start taking public transportation once again.
Department Order No. 2022-001, which the Department of Transportation (DOTr) issued on Jan. 11, states that the “no vaccine, no ride” policy is only mandatory in places under Alert Level 3 or higher. “Once we deescalate to alert level 2, the policy shall automatically be lifted,” Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran said in a Viber message to reporters on Sunday.
However, we can still expect an announcement regarding this matter from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) as well as local authorities in the capital region.