Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in areas under Alert Level 3 may begin limited face-to-face classes for all programs on January 31, according to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
HEIs that are in locations under Alert Level 2, on the other hand, may start theirs at any time, CHED said.
"The Commission on Higher Education hereby informs that the date of the Phase of the implementation of limited face-to-face classes for all programs of HEIs in areas that are under Alert Level 3 should begin 31 January 2022 (Monday)," said CHED chairman Prospero De Vera III in the commission's COVID-19 advisory dated January 10.
According to De Vera, HEIs in areas under Alert Level 2 will no longer need to submit an application to CHED in order to conduct face-to-face classes.
They need to notify, however, the concerned CHED Regional Office through an accomplished self-assessment checklist and notarized affidavit of undertaking prior to the start date of the in-person classes.
"HEIs intending to hold limited face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic must be willing to assume the responsibilities for the reopening of their campuses based on their capability to comply with health and safety protocols, to retrofit their facilities, and to get the support of their stakeholders," De Vera said.
Meanwhile, the preventive suspension of in-person classes will be determined by the Crisis Management Committee of the HEI in consultation with the Local Task Force against COVID-19.
According to CHED, the opening is in line with the Resolution No. 148-G of the Inter-Agency Task Force that approved the phased implementation of limited face-to-face classes in higher education for all programs under the Alert Levels System.
It is also in accordance to the CHED-Department of Health Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2021-004 on the Guidelines on the Implementation of Limited Face-to-face Classes for All Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Areas Under Alert Levels System for COVID-19 response.
The reopening came despite the country tallying a record-breaking number of new cases of late, with Tuesday's cases hitting 28,007 new infections, just below the record-high figures of 33,169 cases on January 10.
The country has now over three million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
