(BusinessWorld) THE PHILIPPINE government on Tuesday raised the coronavirus alert in three provinces adjacent to the capital region as the country confronts threats from the more transmissible Omicron variant.

Bulacan, Rizal, and Cavite, which are part of the so-called greater Manila area, would be placed under Alert Level 3 from Jan. 5 to 15 “due to a sharp increase of COVID-19 cases in the particular localities,” the presidential palace said, citing a resolution passed by an inter-agency task force.

The level 3 alert, up from level 2, means more mobility restrictions and lower operating capacity for some commercial establishments, among other limitations.

The recommendation was made by the pandemic task force’s data analytics group, it said.