By Betheena Unite No sail policy in Manila Bay and domestic sea travel ban going to and from the Port of Manila will be implemented starting Sunday until April 14 during the one-month community quarantine imposed over Metro Manila. Members of the Philippine Coast Guard are seen aboard their patrol boats as they prepare for the scheduled start of the community quarantine that will be implemented by the government in the National Captial Region (NCR) to prevent the spread of the deadly Corona Virus. Starting 12:01 am of March 15 2020, NCR will be on a community quarantine. Land, Sea and Air travel will be prohibited in and out of NCR. (Mark Balmores) Following the declaration of the Code Red Sublevel 2 due to the growing numbers of infected coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases in the country, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has been placed under full alert status as they start to enforce intensified watch on sea travels. Admiral Joel Garcia, Coast Guard commandant, said that the no sail policy shall be enforced on all domestic passenger vessels and private watercrafts. Composite law enforcement and medical teams of the Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, and Armed Forces of the Philippines have been deployed to implement health protocols and safety guidelines on passengers and crew members of domestic and foreign passenger ships, domestic and foreign cargo vessels, fishing boats, motorbancas, private watercrafts, government vessels, tugboats, and pilot boats in Manila Bay and its coastal areas -- Pasig River, Navotas River, Cainta River, Laguna de Bay, Parañaque River, Manggahan Floodway, Marikina River, and Las Piñas Bay. “Cargo vessels, fishing boats, tugboats, and government vessels may be allowed to sail, provided that crew members onboard shall be subjected to health protocols,” Garcia said. “Passengers and crew members of watercrafts navigating within the National Capital Region shall observe the guidelines on social distancing set forth by the Department of Health and the Department of Transportation,” the commandant added. Garcia furthered that if a passenger or crew member shows symptoms of COVID-19, he/she will be isolated and turned-over to the medical team for proper disposition. Violators of said guidelines shall be apprehended and be subjected to appropriate legal action. A total of 100 response teams of the “PCG Task Force Laban Coronavirus” have been readied for deployment as force multipliers of the police in the enforcement of protocols and guidelines on the general community quarantine. The commandant said that water security cluster measures shall also be implemented in Oriental Mindoro and other island provinces, as requested by their respective local government units, to prevent the spread of the contagious virus in their areas of responsibility. No exemptions It was also clarified that “only passenger ships and motorbancas carrying passengers will not be allowed to enter Port of Manila.” Cargo vessels carryingprovisions will be allowed and may continue their normal operations, Commodore Armand Balilo said. There will no exemption in the no sail and restriction policy enforced by the Coast Guard, Garcia noted. “Wala po tayong ipapatupad na exemptions kasi hindi natin alam kung sino ang may dala ng virus. Ibang klaseng giyera po ito (There will be no exemptions because we do not know who could be carrying the virus). Practically, we are at war,” Garcia said. “Itong giyera na ito, ibang klase (This is a different war). We do not know who our enemies are. So practically we are at war against COVID-19,” he added.