Policemen manning the border control points were instructed to be alert on side-tripping Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR) amid reports that some of them were using their community quarantine exemptions for non-essential travel.
Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, commander of the JTF COVID Shield, said the move is aimed at restricting the movement of APORs to the areas where they are supposed to be, especially in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal which are currently under stricter Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).
Eleazar reminded the public that the home quarantine and travel exemptions given to the Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR) are intended for them to work since their jobs are considered essential in the fight against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and to assist in the delivery of basic needs of the people who are staying at their homes.
“The exemption given to them to travel outside their communities is clearly work-related; therefore, their travel is limited to their places of work and back to their houses. This exemption must not be used for side-tripping and other non-essential travels, especially in Metro Manila other areas currently under MECQ,” said Eleazar.
Eleazar said they already advised policemen manning the checkpoints to scrutinize the home address and office address of the APORs passing the quarantine control points (QCPs).
If the APOR is passing in a QCP which is not en route his or her office, the APOR may be barred from passing except if he or she is able to justify the diversion of his travel from home to work and vice versa.
The APORs are allowed to go out and travel under the condition that their jobs are considered essential or jobs are connected with business establishments and industries permitted to operate by the government, and that the travels must be work-related.
Some APORs were issued identification cards by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) while some are allowed to present their company identification cards and other documents that serve as a proof of employment.
Instead of side-tripping or engaging in non-essential travels, Eleazar said APORs can also maximize the exemption given to them to go out and travel by buying food and other essential products for their family in business establishments near their places of work or near their homes, or even those along the routes they pass by on their way to work or back home.