Passenger terminals buildings (PTBs) of all ports across the country will only operate at 50 percent capacity in compliance with the strict enforcement of minimum public health protocols under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said on Sunday, April 11.
The PPA made the statement after President Duterte had approved the recommendation to place the National Capital Region Plus areas--composed of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, and Cavite--under MECQ until the end of the month.
“Only individuals cleared to travel under Omnibus Guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases shall be allowed inside PTBs and port facilities, namely frontliners or essential workers, persons travelling for medical or humanitarian reasons, Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs), Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APORs), and workers of establishments permitted to operate under MECQ,” the agency said.
The PPA said travel will remain tsubjected to the requirements by the local government units (LGUs) where voyages originate and end.
Meanwhile, public health standards which include physical distancing, hand hygiene, and wearing of masks and face shields will be strictly enforced in PTBs and port facilities.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque announced on Sunday, April 11, that aside from the NCR-plus bubble area, the city of Santiago in Quirino and the province of Abra will be under the MECQ until April 30, 2021.The NCR-plus bubble area was under the ECQ for two weeks due to the alarming spike in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country.