(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — The OCTA Research group is projecting a decline in COVID-19 cases in the country despite the less restrictive celebrations this holiday season.

“With the coming holidays, we are seeing a possible decrease in case count overall, also in Metro Manila decreasing,” OCTA Research fellow Guido David told CNN Philippines’ New Day on Monday. “Today we may see more than a thousand but definitely tomorrow we are expecting lower numbers, could be down to about 600 or 700.”

In a tweet, David noted that the positivity rate, or the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19, in Metro Manila has declined from 14.4% as of Dec. 10 to 13.9% as of Dec. 17, which may mean that the “BQ.1 wave is receding in time for a happy holiday.”