Intercity checkpoints to be set up within NCR; Only “worker APORs” can cross city borders-
(Eagle News) – Once again, Metro Manila will be placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) starting Friday, Aug. 6 until Aug. 20.
Malacanang again reminded residents in the National Capital Region to follow the guidelines under ECQ.
Here are the things to expect once ECQ takes effect in Metro Manila starting tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 6 until Aug. 20:
-strict curfew from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
-family lockdowns encouraged
-strict inter-city border control
-all persons should stay at home except the Authorized Persons Outside their Residences or APORs.
– only those considered “worker APORs” can cross city borders
-consumer APORs or those who will buy goods and groceries can only travel within the city to buy the family’s needs, and cannot cross borders.
-no mass gatherings are allowed;
-Gatherings at residences with any person outside of one’s immediate household shall likewise be prohibited. However, gatherings that are essential for the provision of health services, government services, or humanitarian activities authorized by the appropriate government agency or instrumentality shall be allowed;
– Pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, or other religious ministers and their assistants may conduct religious services performed through online video recording and transmission, necrological services, wakes, inurnment, and funerals, and they shall be allowed to move for such purposes. Corollary, immediate family members of the deceased who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall be allowed to move from their residences to attend the wake or interment of the deceased upon satisfactory proof of their relationship with the latter, fully complying with the prescribed minimum public health standards for the duration of the activity;
-Food preparation establishments such as kiosks, commissaries, restaurants, and eateries, are limited to take-out and delivery.
“The strict border control and the longer curfew hours are but some of the necessary interventions to prevent the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19,” PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said.
-Individual city bubbles-
The difference this time compared to the previous ECQ of NCR from March 29 to April 11 this year, is that inter-city travel within Metro Manila is not allowed, except for those Authorized Persons Outside their Residence (APORs) under the category of “work APORs,” starting Aug. 6.
“Starting tonight, ito pong NCR, the individual cities and municipalities eh magiging individual bubble na po sila,” said Philippine National Police chief Director General Guillermo Eleazar in a press briefing on Thursday, Aug. 5, a day before the ECQ in Metro Manila. The so-called “consumer APORs” are not allowed to cross intercity boundaries, he said.
“Ang nakikita nating kaibahan doon is kung iyong dating checkpoint ay nasa outer perimeter lang ng NCR Plus Bubble, ngayon ang ating mga Chiefs of Police ay puwede nang maglagay ng mga checkpoint nila doon po sa intercity border natin,” he explained in a Palace briefing on Thursday.
“So iyon po ‘yung konting higpitan kasi nga kung dati eh hindi po tayo basta-basta na—within the NCR ay puwede po tayong mag-travel, starting po tomorrow ay iyon pong mga consumer APOR natin hindi po sila papayagan na mag-cross na ng intercity boundary.”
He stressed only the worker APORs can cross border within the NCR bubble.
-Limitation for consumer APORs-
“Pero para po sa mga consumer APOR and other non-APOR, hindi po sila dapat nasa labas at ma-che-check po sila kung sila po ay lalabas ng city. Iyong sinasabi po natin ay ang mga consumer APOR natin, they can only avail or access the essential goods and services doon lamang sa city na iyon dahil lahat naman ng mga cities natin and municipality inside Metro Manila ay lahat po ay mayroon sila,” Eleazar said.
Consumer APORs are individuals preferably 21 – 59 years old availing of essential goods and services.
-Who are the worker APORs?-
Police Lt. Gen. Israel Ephraim Dickson, PNP Deputy Chief for Operations and the Commander of Joint Task Force COVID Shield, listed the following as worker APORs:
– employers and workers involved in essential manufacturing establishments, services and industries.
– persons in the production of basic food products, essential products, medicine and medical supplies, and the entire value chain of all food and beverages, essential and hygiene products, medicines and vitamins, medical products such as PPEs, masks, gloves, at pet food, fish, fertilizers and pesticides, equipment for products necessary to perform construction works.
– Officials and employees of all agencies and instrumentalities of government including GOCCs and LGUs
– Health and emergency frontliners
– Officials and employees of foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations
– Outbound and inbound international passengers and driver
– Delivery personnel and cargo vehicles with or without load at least at the most three employees of critical transportation facilities
– Construction workers accredited by Department of Public Work and Highways to work in quarantine-related facilities and government infra projects
– Those traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons (pastors, priests and imams or such other religious ministers whose movement shall be related to the conduct of necrological or funeral rites)
– Teachers, professors and other staff
– Lawyers who will provide legal representation
– Employers and workers involved in the following services: Hospitals and medical clinics; dental clinics and other health clinics; laundry shops; food preparation and water refilling stations; logistics service providers; power; energy; water; internet service providers; cable television providers; IT and telecommunications supplies and facilities including their third party contractors and service providers; delivery services whether or not e-commerce platform, in-house or outsourced; essential and priority construction projects whether public or private in accordance with the guidelines issued by the DPWH.
– Employers and workers involved in the following services shown on the screen are the public and private financial services providers involved in the distribution of government grants and amelioration subsidies; water collection; treatment and supply; waste collection; treatment and disposal; sewerage; repair and installation of machinery equipment; repair and maintenance of motorized and non-motorized vehicles including the sale of spare parts; installation of machinery and equipment; gasoline stations; electricity and gas supply; postal and courier service; real estate; repair of computers; funeral and embalming; veterinary; technical and testing analysis; security and investigation; rental and leasing; employment/manpower services or essential activities; public transport providers and operators.
– Employers and workers engaged in the following industries: Agriculture; fisheries; forestry; mining and quarrying; electronic commerce companies; export-oriented companies; business cruises outsourcing companies; money transfers, banks and capital markets; micro-financing institutions and credit cooperatives; shipping and airline.
Guillermo also clarified that those working from home are not considerered “worker APORs.”
“So kung ikaw ay nag-work-from-home, definitely hindi ka APOR – dapat nandoon ka pa rin sa loob ng bahay mo at hindi ka lalabas. Only iyong skeleton force, only during the time na papasok ka at babalik ka, iyon lang dapat ang pagiging APOR mo,” he said.
-Other APORs-
Guillermo said that persons in need of emergency, medical service, including those who will be vaccinated will also be allowed to go out of their homes.
“By the way mayroon pa tayong isang category o itong tinatawag nating other APORs – ito iyong dahil sa emergency, medical or humanitarian consideration ay puwede pong ma-consider sila – lalo na iyong magpapabakuna,” he said.
Public transport will only cater to APORs and those needing medical and emergency services, including those to be vaccinated.
-Certification for fetchers of worker APORs-
Guillermo said worker APORs who will not avail of public transportation can drive to their workplace. If they don’t know how to drive, non-APORs can do so for them, but they will need a certification from the work place of the worker APORs.
“Certification of employment na kasama rin po doon iyong pangalan nitong non-APOR driver pati iyong kaniyang vehicle, pati iyong number na iyon and cellphone number, both the employer and the non-APOR driver, at siyempre nakalagay doon iyong pangalan nitong ating worker APOR at mag-a-attach na rin po ng kopya ng business permit para alam natin na itong establisyimentong ito is bahagi sa mga permitted industries,” he explained.
-Palace encourages “family lockdowns”-
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that they are implementing these revised guidelines to prevent further spread of the Delta variant.
“Well, handa na po ang gobyerno para ipatupad ang ECQ ‘no. Pero ang aking panawagan po, huwag na nating iasa sa gobyerno ang pagpapatupad ng ECQ. Lahat po ng hepe ng pamilya mag-declare na po kayo ng lockdown, walang lalabas sa tahanan. Kasi kung mga hepe ang magpapatupad niyan, sigurado po hindi na mahihirapan ang gobyerno,” he said.
“So ito po’y para sa kabutihan ng lahat. Masakit alam ko po iyan, mahirap, magastos pero kinakailangan po natin iyan para mapangalagaan po natin ang kalusugan ng lahat. panawagan po sa mga hepe ng ating mga pamilya, family lockdown po nang magtagumpay itong ating ECQ,” Roque added.
To make the public understand what ECQ means for NCR starting Friday, Roque summed it all up like this:
“Ang general rule: Bawal lumabas exception, iyong mga nagtatrabaho po, dahil sila ay APOR doon sa mga industriyang bukas, iyong mga medical frontliners natin at iyong mga taong gobyernong nagbibigay ng serbisyo na classified as APOR. Tama po iyon, bawal lumabas ang general rule,” he said.
“Pero kung kayo po ay APOR at magpapabakuna, puwede po kayong lumabas. At saka iyong mga kukuha po ng essentials, pagkain at gamot. Pero tama po, ang general rule, huwag lalabas. Kaya nga po ang panawagan ko sa mga hepe ng pamilya, mag-declare na po kayo ng household lockdown at ipatupad po ninyo iyan, kung kinakailangan ng baston, magbaston na kayo sa inyong mga kabataan. Pero huwag na ninyong palalabasin, dahil ang objective po natin mapababa ang pagkalat nitong mas nakakahawang Delta variant.”
(Eagle News Service)
