(File photo) MANILA - Laguna will be placed under a higher Alert Level 3 from January 7 to January 15 following a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, Malacanang announced Wednesday night. "The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) approved tonight, January 5, 2022, the recommendation of its sub-Technical Working Group on Data Analytics to escalate Laguna to Alert Level 3, due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the province," Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a statement. On Dec. 31, 2021, the IATF raised the alert level in Metro Manila to Alert Level 3 until January 15. The IATF, on January 4, announced that the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal will join Metro Manila as areas under Alert Level 3 until January 15. Under Alert Level 3, a 30 percent indoor venue capacity and 50 percent outdoor venue capacity will be allowed for some activities, provided employees are fully vaccinated. However, face-to-face or in-person classes for basic education; contact sports, except those conducted under the bubble-type setup; funfairs/carnivals and kid amusement industries; venues with live voice or wind instrument performers and audiences; casinos, horse racing, cockfighting and operation of cockpits, lottery and betting shops, and other gaming establishments; and gatherings in residences with individuals not belonging to the same household will be prohibited. On Wednesday, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 10,775 new Covid-19 cases--the highest single-day tally since Oct. 10, 2021. The positivity rate was 31.7 percent out of 44,643 tests, which is way above the five percent threshold of the World Health Organization (WHO). The country now has 14 cases of the Omicron variant, three of which were local and 11 from abroad. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said the agency's assumption is "Omicron has already reached our communities." On Tuesday, the WHO said more evidence is emerging that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is affecting the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants. Since the new variant was first detected in November, WHO data shows it has spread quickly and emerged in at least 128 countries. (PNA) }