Up to 50% capacity for outdoor activities allowed in Metro Manila starting Oct 16; Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal, 6 other areas under MECQ
(Eagle News) — Malacanang announced the guidelines containing eased restrictions as more establishments are allowed to operate as Metro Manila eases to COVID-19 alert level 3 from Oct. 16 to the end of the month.
According to the Palace, under the alert level, these establishments will be allowed to operate at 30 percent indoor venue capacity but only for fully vaccinated individuals and 50 percent outdoor capacity, provided the establishments’ employees are fully vaccinated:
- Venues for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions;
- Permitted venues for social events such as parties, wedding receptions, engagement parties, wedding anniversaries, debut and birthday parties, family reunions, and bridal or baby showers;
- Visitor or tourist attractions such as libraries, archives, museums, galleries, exhibits, parks, plazas, public gardens, scenic viewpoints or overlooks, and the like; amusement parks or theme parks
- Internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, bowling alleys, skating rinks, archery halls, swimming pools, and the like
- Limited face-to-face or in-person classes for higher education and for technical-vocational education and training
- Cinemas and movie houses
- Dine-in services in food preparation establishments such as kiosks, commissaries, restaurants, and eateries, subject to Department of Trade and Industry sector-specific protocols;
- Personal care establishments such as barbershops, hair spas, hair salons, and nail spas, and those offering aesthetic/cosmetic services or procedures, make-up services, salons, spas, reflexology, and other similar procedures including home service options, subject to the sector-specific protocols of the DTI;
- Fitness studios, gyms, and venues for non-contact exercise and sports, subject to DTI sector-specific protocols, provided that patrons/clients and workers/employees wear face masks at all times and that no group activities are conducted
The Palace said the same shall apply to in-person religious gatherings; gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 and for the remains of the COVID-19 deceased.
Licensure or entrance/qualifying examinations administered by their respective government agency, and specialty examinations authorized by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases shall also be allowed subject to those conditions and subject to the health and safety guidelines as approved by the IATF.
Film, music, and television production shall also be allowed subject to the same conditions and subject to the joint guidelines as may be issued by the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Health.
Individual outdoor exercises will also be allowed for all ages regardless of comorbidities or vaccination status.
-Activities not allowed-
Unapproved face-to-face classes for basic education; contact sports except bubble-type setup; funfairs; kid amusement industries; and venues with live voice or wind-instrument performers such as karaoke, clubs, concert halls and theaters, however, are still prohibited.
Gatherings of people belonging to a different household are also still not allowed.
The guidelines for the pilot implementation of the alert level system in Metro Manila was released by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases on Oct. 7, 2021.
Quarantine status of other areas
Meanwhile, the IATF placed the following areas under a modified enhanced community quarantine:
- Apayao
- Batanes
- Bulacan
- Cavite
- Kalinga
- Laguna
- Naga City
- Rizal
- Zamboanga City
- Zamboanga del Norte
The following are under a general community quarantine with heightened restrictions:
- Abra
- Bacolod City
- Baguio City
- Batangas
- Bohol
- Butuan City
- Cagayan
- Cagayan de Oro City
- Capiz
- Davao del Norte
- Davao de Oro
- Davao Occidental
- Ilocos Sur
- Isabela
- Lapu-Lapu City
- Misamis Oriental
- Negros Oriental
- Nueva Vizcaya,
- Pangasinan
- Quezon
- Quirino
- City of Santiago
- Surigao del Sur
- Zamboanga del Sur
The following areas, meanwhile, are under a general community quarantine:
- Agusan del Norte
- Agusan del Sur
- Aklan
- Albay
- Antique
- Benguet
- Camarines Norte
- Cebu City
- Cebu Province
- Cotabato City
- Dagupan City
- Davao City
- Davao del Sur
- Davao Oriental
- Dinagat Islands
- General Santos City
- Guimaras
- Ifugao
- Iligan City
- Ilocos Norte
- Iloilo City
- Iloilo Province
- Lanao del Sur
- Occidental Mindoro
- Oriental Mindoro
- Puerto Princesa
- Lucena City
- Mandaue City
- Marinduque
- Misamis Occidental
- Negros Occidental
- North Cotabato
- Sarangani
- Siquijor
- South Cotabato
- Sultan Kudarat
- Surigao del Norte
- Tacloban City
- Tarlac
- Zamboanga Sibugay
The rest are under modified general community quarantine.
(Eagle News Service)
