In an interview with DZMM Teleradyo, MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos said that giving warning to residents might defeat the purpose of localized restrictions aimed at halting the transmission of COVID-19.

Currently, Metro Manila is under Alert Level 4 in a 5-tier system, which government hopes will boost business activity while keeping the spread of COVID-19 in check. The new scheme is being piloted in the region and may be replicated in other parts of the country if it proves successful.

Under the new guidelines, granular or localized lockdowns will be imposed in an area for 14 days to give way to mass testing, contact-tracing, and isolation. A street could be subject to a lockdown if it had two cases of COVID-19.

Restaurants, salons, and other small businesses in Metro Manila reopened last Thursday after being shut for weeks, as the government shifts to localized lockdowns from wide-scale mobility controls in a bid to revive the pandemic-hit economy.

Outdoor dining is allowed at 30 percent capacity, while indoor dining is limited to small groups of fully immunized people. Religious gatherings and personal care services are allowed also at up to 30 percent of the capacity of the venue.