In Case You’re Confused: Here’s A Roundup Of Guidelines For Areas Under ECQ, MECQ, GCQ And MGCQ This August

On July 30, President Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to place the National Capital Region (NCR) under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from Aug. 6 to 20 to curb the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.

Other areas placed under ECQ from Aug. 6 to 15 were:

Laguna

Iloilo City

Cagayan de Oro

From Aug. 8 to 22

Bataan

Areas placed under MECQ:

Aug. 6 to 15

Cavite

Lucena City

Rizal

Iloilo Province

Aug. 1 to 15

Cebu City

Cebu Province

Ilocos Norte

Mandaue City

Lapu-Lapu City

GCQ with heightened restrictions:

Aug. 6 to 15

Batangas

Quezon

Aug. 8 to 15

Municipality of Gingoog in Misamis Oriental

Aug. 1 to 15

Luzon: Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, Bulacan, Lucena City and Naga City

Visayas: Antique, Aklan, Bacolod City, Capiz, Negros Oriental

Mindanao: Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Oriental; Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, and Butuan City

GCQ from Aug. 1 to 31

Luzon: Baguio City, Apayao; Santiago City, Quirino, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Puerto Princesa

Visayas: Guimaras, Negros Occidental

Mindanao: Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands, Cotabato City

The rest of the country will be placed under the most relaxed modified GCQ or MGCQ for the entire month of August.

Here are some of the guidelines as of Aug. 6:

ECQ

• Gatherings outside of residences shall be prohibited. Movement of all persons shall be limited to accessing goods and services from permitted establishments, for work in such establishments, or for such other activities.

• Any person below 18 years old, those who are over 65 years of age, those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity, or other health risks, and pregnant women shall be required to remain in their residences at all times, except for obtaining essential goods and services, or for work in industries and offices.

• Only essential establishments, persons, or activities are allowed to operate, work, or be undertaken for the durations of the ECQ.

• Media establishments are allowed to operate at 50% on-site capacity.

• Face-to-face or in-person classes at all levels shall be suspended.

• Indoor dine-in services and al fresco dining are prohibited. Only take-out and delivery are allowed.

• Only authorized persons outside their residences (APORs) shall be allowed to travel into and out of the NCR Plus Area, which includes Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, and Rizal.

• Only virtual religious gatherings shall be allowed. Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall be allowed, provided they are limited to immediate family members.

• Uniform curfew hours may be imposed by local government units (LGUs), subject to the guidelines issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Workers, cargo vehicles, public transportation, and operating hours of permitted establishments, however, shall not be restricted by such curfew.

• Only hotels or accommodation establishments with valid Department of Tourism (DOT) Accreditation shall be allowed to accommodate guests and clients for legitimate purposes.

• The movement of cargo/delivery vehicles, as well as vehicles used by public utility companies, shall be unhampered. Shuttle services of permitted establishments shall not be subject to an ID system but shall maintain compliance with minimum public health standards.

MECQ

• LGUs may relax the minimum age range down to 15 years old, depending on the COVID-19 situation in their respective jurisdictions.

• All establishments, persons, or activities not permitted to operate, work, or be undertaken during ECQ shall be allowed to operate at 50% on-site capacity while encouraging work-from-home and other flexible work arrangements, where applicable.

• Entertainment venues like bars, concert halls, and theaters; recreational venues like internet cafes, billiard halls and arcades; amusement parks like fairs, playgrounds and kiddie rides; and cockfighting are still prohibited.

• Outdoor and indoor sports courts or venues, fitness studios, gyms, spas or other indoor leisure centers or facilities, and swimming pools, casinos, personal care services, and outdoor tourist attractions shall remain suspended.

GCQ with heightened restrictions

• Food preparation establishments such as commissaries, restaurants, and eateries may operate with their indoor dine-in services at the seating capacity of 20% and with their al-fresco or outdoor dine-in services at the venue capacity of 50%.

• Personal care services, such as beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops, and nail spas, may operate up to 30% venue or seating capacity.

• Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) events in eligible venue establishments shall not be allowed to operate.

• Outdoor tourist attractions shall remain to be allowed at 30% venue.

• Under the Safety Seal Certification Program, business establishments awarded Safety Seal Certifications shall be allowed to operate at an additional 10 percentage points beyond the prescribed on-site capacity or venue/seating capacity, whichever is applicable.

• Indoor sports courts and venues and indoor tourist attractions shall not be allowed to operate.

• Specialized markets of the DOT such as staycations without age restrictions shall remain to be allowed at such capacities, protocols and restrictions as may be imposed by the DOT.

• Interzonal travel shall be allowed subject to restrictions of the LGU unit of destination. Point-to-point travel to areas under GCQ and MGCQ shall be allowed without age restrictions subject to an RT-PCR test-before-travel requirement for those below 18 years old and above 65.

• Religious gatherings shall be allowed up to 10% of the venue capacity.

• Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall be allowed, provided they are limited to immediate family members.

Normal GCQ

• All establishments, persons, or activities not permitted to operate, work, or be undertaken during ECQ shall be allowed to operate anywhere between 50% to 100% on-site capacity.

• Entertainment venues like bars, concert halls, and theaters; recreational venues like internet cafes, billiard halls and arcades; amusement parks like fairs, playgrounds and kiddie rides; and cockfighting are allowed to operate.

• All construction projects shall be allowed during GCQ and MGCQ, subject to strict compliance with the construction safety guidelines issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

• Agencies and instrumentalities of the government shall be fully operational and shall operate at a minimum of 30% up to full on-site capacity as determined by the head of the agency, in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations issued by the CSC.

• Religious gatherings shall be allowed up to 30% of the venue capacity.

• Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall be allowed up to 30% of the venue capacity.

• Visits to memorial parks, cemeteries, and columbaria shall be limited to not more than 10 persons per group and not exceeding 30% of the venue capacity.

• Outdoor non-contact sports and other forms of exercise such as but not limited to walking, jogging, running, biking, golf, swimming, tennis, badminton, equestrian, range shooting, diving, and skateboarding are allowed.

MGCQ

• All private offices may be allowed to operate anywhere between 50% to 100% on-site capacity.

• Gatherings shall be allowed up to 50% of the seating or venue capacity.

• Limited face-to-face or in-person classes for higher education and technical vocational education and training may be allowed, subject to the guidelines of CHED and TESDA, respectively.

• Indoor and outdoor non-contact sports are allowed.

List of APORS during ECQ

As of Aug. 5, here is the full list of persons allowed to travel in areas under ECQ:

• Persons traveling to access essential goods and services (such as to buy groceries and medicines, and availing of Department of Foreign Affairs’ consular services with confirmed appointments), and for medical or humanitarian reasons, including those leaving their residence to be vaccinated (with proof of schedule)

• Employees/workers of public and private hospitals, health, emergency, and frontline services, including those working in hospitals, dialysis centers, chemotherapy centers, health maintenance organizations/ health insurance providers, as well as disaster risk reduction management officers, public safety officers, and uniformed personnel

• Employees/workers of manufacturers of medicines and vitamins, medical supplies, devices, and equipment, including suppliers of input, packaging, and distribution

• Employees/workers in industries involved in agriculture (crops, fruits, vegetables, livestock, and poultry), forestry, fishery, and such other components of the food value chain and their workers, including farmers and fisherfolks

• Employees/workers of logistics service providers (delivery and courier services; cargo handling; warehousing; trucking; freight forwarding; shipping, port and terminal operators including contractors in port terminals and ancillary services)

• Employees/workers in essential and priority construction projects, whether public or private, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the DPWH, including contractors, subcontractors, and consultants of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the construction of the “Build Build Build” flagship infrastructure projects

• Employees/workers involved in manufacturing related to food and other essential goods such as but not limited to soap and detergents, diapers, personal hygiene products, toilet paper, and wet wipes, and disinfectants

• Employees/workers involved in the manufacturing, distribution, and/or supply of equipment or products necessary to perform construction or maintenance work, such as cement and steel, or spare parts

• Employees/workers in essential retail trade and service establishments such as public markets, supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies or drug stores, hardware, office supplies, bicycle shops, laundry shops, and water-refilling stations

• Employees/workers in food preparation establishments such as kiosks, commissaries, restaurants, and eateries, but limited to take-out and delivery

• Employees/workers in public and private financial service providers involved in the distribution of government grants and amelioration subsidies

• Employees/workers in business process outsourcing establishments (BPOs), export-oriented businesses, including mining, and quarrying activities

• Public transport providers and public utility vehicle operators, and their workers (such as  drivers, conductors, terminal workers)

• Employees/workers in media establishments and their total permanent staff complement, inclusive of reporters and other field employees

• Employees/workers providing dental (emergency cases only), rehabilitation, optometry, and other medical clinics for the treatment of illnesses or injuries

• Employees/workers in veterinary clinics

• Employees/workers in banks, money transfer services, including pawn shops (only for money transfer functions), microfinance institutions, and credit cooperatives, including their armored vehicle services

• Employees/workers in capital markets, including 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

• Employees/workers of water utilities including their third-party contractors and service providers, building utility services, janitorial/sanitation services, and facilities, including waste disposal services, and property management services

• Employees/workers in energy sector establishments (oil, gas, and power companies) and their third-party contractors and service providers, including electric transmission and distribution, electric power plant and line maintenance, electricity market and retail suppliers, and those involved in the exploration, operations, trading, and delivery of any kind of fuel used to produce power, such as gasoline stations, refineries, liquefied petroleum gas stations, and depots

• Employees/workers in telecommunications companies, internet service providers, cable television providers, including those who perform indirect services such as technical, sales, and other support personnel, as well as the employees of their third-party contractors doing sales, installation, maintenance, and repair works

• Employees/workers in airline and aircraft maintenance, pilots and crew, including 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

• Employees/workers in funeral and embalming services

• Security personnel licensed by the PNP - Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies

• Employees/workers of printing establishments authorized by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and those contracted by other government agencies

• Employees/workers involved in the repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment, for households and establishments permitted to operate under an ECQ

• Employees/workers involved in the repair and maintenance of motorized and non-motorized vehicles, including the sale of spare parts

• Employees/workers in the leasing of real and personal properties

• Employees/workers in the recruitment and placement sector

• Teachers, professors, and other staff for purposes of conducting online/offline, and flexible classes, completion of grades, and processing of student credentials, requirements, and documents

• Lawyers only when required to provide on-site legal representation necessary to protect rights of persons, whether natural or juridical

• Employees/workers of all other establishments, only if necessary for the buying and selling of consumer goods or services via the internet in behalf of such establishment

• Employees/workers in agencies and instrumentalities of the government required to work on-site, including government officials and employees on official travel

• Officials and employees of foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited by the DFA, whenever performing diplomatic functions and subject to the guidelines issued by the DFA

• Employees/workers of hotels and accommodation establishments allowed to operate during ECQ under pertinent rules of the DOT

• Pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, or other religious ministers and their assistants conducting religious services through online video recording and transmission, or presiding over necrological services, wakes, inurnment, and funerals

• Payroll managers and other employees required for the processing of payroll

• Duly authorized humanitarian assistance actors (HAAs), especially those transporting medical supplies and laboratory specimens related to COVID-19, and other relief and humanitarian assistance

• Persons going to and from the airport, including Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) carrying Overseas Employment Certificates

• Repatriated OFWs or returning OFs who have been issued a Bureau of Quarantine/DOH quarantine certificate en route to their final destination in the Philippines

• Employees/workers of private shuttle services catering to establishments permitted to operate during ECQ

The Philippine National Police has ordered the National Capital Region Police Office to strictly implement the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew in Metro Manila during ECQ implementation.