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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Metro Manila, 4 adjacent provinces treated as one GCQ 'bubble', labeled as NCR+

Metro Manila, 4 adjacent provinces treated as one GCQ 'bubble', labeled as NCR+

Published Mar 22, 2021 02:21 pm

The National Capital Region and its four adjacent provinces will have uniform quarantine classification under the newly-imposed General Community Quarantine (GCQ) "bubble" to address the rapidly increasing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country, a spokesperson of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 explained Monday, March 22.

Members of Cavite Provincial Mobile Force company guard the checkpoint on the boundary of Cavite longos bacoor - Manila on the first day of the implementation of the general community Quarantine bubble in the NCR and nearby provinces on Monday march 22, 2021 amid the rise of COVID-19 cases in the region (ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN)

NTF spokesperson Restituto Padilla Jr., a retired military general, said that NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal will be treated as "NCR+" under the GCQ bubble that has begun to take effect Monday and will last up to April 4.

Padilla said that there will be no travel restrictions within areas in NCR+ since they all belong to one bubble.

"No restrictions within, as these areas are considered one bubble, the NCR+," he told reporters.

A bubble is a non-conventional setup where the entry and exit of people in a particular area or group of areas are limited. The government insisted that the GCQ bubble is not a lockdown since most businesses were not closed and only travel restrictions were implemented to limit the movement of people.

However, Padilla said that those who will go to areas outside the bubble will have to adhere to the protocols that are implemented by the respective local government unit (LGUs), provided that the travel is considered "essential."

"If travel is essential (outside NCR+), compliance to the LGU arrival requirement is a must," he said.

The national government released on Sunday the new quarantine classifications in the NCR+, placing them under a unified GCQ bubble. This was done to separate the NCR+ from the rest of Luzon and contain the rise of new infections.

According to Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution No. 104 which contains the rules on the newly-imposed travel restrictions, only essential travel into and out of NCR+ will be allowed during the two-week GCQ bubble.

Essential travels can be done by individuals who are considered as Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs).

These include essential workers with work ID, health and emergency frontline services personnel, government officials and government frontline personnel, duly-authorized humanitarian assistance actors, persons traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, persons going to t

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