The government is aiming to curb the rise in coronavirus cases, prevent the collapse of the health care system, and save more lives with the implementation of a strict lockdown imposed in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces this week.
The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the most restrictive of the government's four quarantine levels, has been declared in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal from March 29 to April 4.
Based on the latest government guidelines, restrictions include: stay at home rule for residents, ban on mass gatherings, longer nighttime curfew, and reduced operations of public transportation and industries except those involved in essential and frontline services.
“The continued implementation of proactive measures and restrictions must be put in place to slow down the surge in COVID-19 cases, stop further spread of variants, buy time for the health system to cope, and to protect more lives,” the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) said in Resolution No. 106-B issued March 28.
With the latest government decision, we provide additional details about the ECQ to help people understand and stay safe.
1. Can I go out of my house during ECQ?
The government mandated "strict home quarantine" in all households in areas under ECQ. Any movement of all residents shall be limited to accessing essential goods and services, and for work in permitted offices or establishments.
People aged below 18 and above 65, those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity, or other health risks, and pregnant women, are also required to stay indoors at all times except when getting essential goods and services as well as for work in allowed industries.
2. Are outdoor exercises allowed?
Yes. The government has allowed outdoor exercises from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. but only within the vicinity of the person's barangay.
3. Do you need a travel pass?
No travel passes are needed when venturing out of the house for essential needs. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque however said some local government units may issue quarantine passes for their residents to manage movement in their communities.
4. What are the establishments allowed to stay open during ECQ?
These establishments allowed to operate at full on-site capacity are the following:
-Public and private hospitals
-Health, emergency and frontline services, including those provided by dialysis centers, chemotherapy centers, and the like
-Manufacturers of medicines and vitamins, medical supplies, devices and equipment, including suppliers of input, packaging, and distribution;
- Industries involved in agriculture, forestry, and fishery and their workers, including farmers, agrarian reform beneficiaries, fisherfolk, and agri-fishery stores, and such other components of the food value chain;
-Logistics service providers (delivery and courier services, cargo handling, warehousing, trucking, freight forwarding, port operations and shipping line);
-Essential and priority construction projects, whether public or private, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways;
- Manufacturing related to food and other essential goods such as but not limited to soap and detergents, disinfectants, and personal hygiene products;
-Companies that manufacture and/or supply equipment or products necessary to perform construction or maintenance works, such as cement and steel, or spare parts;
-Essential retail trade and service establishments such as public markets, supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies or drug stores, laundry shops, and water-refilling stations;
-Food preparation establishments such as commissaries, restaurants, and eateries, but limited to take-out and delivery;
-Public and private financial service providers involved in the distribution of government grants and amelioration subsidies; and
-Business process outsourcing establishments (BPOs), and export-oriented businesses, including mining and quarrying activities.
Media establishments and their total permanent staff complement, inclusive of reporters and other field employees, are allowed to operate at 50 percent on-site capacity.
The establishments permitted to operate with on-site skeleton workforce are the following:
-Dental, rehabilitation, optometry and other medical clinics subject to strict observance of infection prevention and control protocols;
- Veterinary clinics;
-Banks, money transfer services, including pawnshops only insofar as performing money transfer functions, microfinance institutions, and credit cooperatives, including their armored vehicle services, if any;
-Capital markets, including but not limited to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Securities and Exchange Commission, Philippine Stock Exchange, Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corporation, Philippine Securities Settlement Corporation, and Philippine Depository and Trust Corporation;
-Water supply and sanitation services and facilities, including waste disposal services, as well as property management and building utility services;
- Energy and power companies, their third-party contractors and service providers;
- Telecommunications companies, internet service providers, cable television providers,
- Airline and aircraft maintenance, pilots and crew, and employees of aviation schools for purposes of the pilot’s recurrent training for flight proficiency and type rating using simulator facilities; and ship captains and crew, including shipyard operations and repair;
-Funeral and embalming services;
- Pastors, priests, rabbis, imams or such other religious ministers and their assistants;
- Security personnel licensed by the Philippine National Police - Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies;
- Printing establishments authorized by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and other government agencies to print accountable forms and other security documents;
- Establishments engaged in repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment, including those engaged in the repair of computers and household fixtures and equipment; and
-Real estate activities limited to leasing only
3. Are government offices open during ECQ?
Yes. Government agencies, including state corporations, state universities and colleges, and local government units will remain fully operational, with a skeleton workforce on-site and the remainder under alternative work arrangements as approved by the head of agency.
4. Is ‘staycation’ allowed during ECQ?
No. Only hotels or accommodation establishments with valid Department of Tourism Accreditation shall be allowed to accommodate guests and clients for legitimate purposes under a state of public health emergency.
5. Can I hold gatherings at home?
Under the government's guidelines, gatherings at residences with any person outside of one’s immediate household are prohibited.
The government has prohibited mass gatherings to curb the coronavirus surge. Exempted from the ban are essential gatherings related to the provision of health services, government services, or humanitarian activities.
6. Are face-to-face classes suspended?
Face-to-face or in-person classes at all levels shall be suspended. The Education sector shall operate in accordance with existing and future guidelines of the Commission on Higher Education for higher education, Technical Educational and Skills Development Authority for technical vocational education and training, and Department of Education for basic education.
7. What about public transportation?
The road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors of public transportation shall be allowed to operate at reduced capacity and subject to protocols issued by Department of Transportation.
8. Will cargo and delivery vehicles allowed to transport products during ECQ period?
The movement of cargo/delivery vehicles as well as vehicles used by public utility companies shall be unhampered. Shuttle services of permitted establishments will also not be subject to an ID system but must comply with health protocols.
9. What is time of the curfew?
The government has imposed a night-time curfew from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. in areas under ECQ. Workers, cargo vehicles, public transportation, and operating hours of permitted establishments, however, shall not be restricted by such curfew.
10. Will I be penalized if I break the quarantine rule?
Yes. The government ruled that any violation of the prohibitions shall constitute non-cooperation of the person or entities punishable under Republic Act No. 11332, also known as the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.
11. Will the ECQ be extended for another week?
There is no government decision on the matter yet as of March 29. Roque said the cost-benefit analysis on the proposed extension of the ECQ will still be reviewed and discussed by the IATF. The final decision will be made by President Duterte.