Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Transition to 'new normal' in General Community Quarantine (GCQ) areas.

Some quarantine rules will be relaxed, several non-essential businesses will be allowed to reopen, and the so-called “new normal” will be in place in all other areas in the country that are not under ECQ. The areas under GCQ have a low to a moderate number of COVID-19 cases.

Minimum public health standards, such as social distancing, wearing of face masks in public, mandatory checking of temperature, and regular use of disinfectants, shall always be in place in all areas despite the lower or moderate risk of contracting the virus.

The movement of those living in GCQ areas remains limited to accessing essential goods and services and going to work in offices and industries allowed to operate.

More businesses and sectors are also allowed to operate in areas under GCQ. Malls and shopping centers will be allowed to reopen with limited operations and capacity, but theaters, gaming areas, and other leisure stores will remain closed.

Hotels in GCQ areas are only allowed to entertain long-term bookings, those who have existing accommodations for foreigners as of May 1, and those housing distressed OFWs and stranded Filipinos or foreign nationals.

Mass gatherings remain prohibited, except for essential work assemblies and religious activities, as long as a physical distancing of two meters is observed.

Unlike the strict mass transportation restrictions in ECQ areas, public transportation will be allowed in GCQ areas. Land, air, and sea public transportation are allowed to reopen at a reduced capacity to ensure physical distancing between passengers of at least one meter.

The nonessential entry and exit of people to and from the ECQ zone are prohibited.

The 15-day extension of lockdown in the Philippines came after Duterte's extensive meetings with the COVID-19 task force and medical experts.

Health experts, including from the World Health Organization, have warned that hastily lifting quarantine restrictions may lead to the second wave of infections, just like in Singapore, which initially arrested the spread of COVID-19, but later faced a resurgence of the viral disease.

This is the second extension of the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila. Duterte originally scheduled the Luzon-wide quarantine to last only until midnight of April 12, but eventually decided to extend it until April 30, and as of today, until May 15.

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2020/04apr/2020030-EO-112-RRD.pdf