READ: Omnibus Guidelines On The Implementation Of MECQ In The Philippines

On Sunday, April 11, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases announced that the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal or NCR Plus, Santiago City in Quirino province as well as Abra would be under MECQ from April 12 to 30 as cases of coronavirus disease 2019 continue to increase.

The Cordillera Administrative Region except Abra, the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, and Nueva Vizcaya in Cagayan Valley region, Batangas and Quezon provinces in Calabarzon, Tacloban City in the Eastern Visayas, Iligan City in Northern Mindanao, Davao City in Davao region, and Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will be under the lenient general community quarantine (GCQ) from April 12 to 30.

The rest of the country will be under modified GCQ or MGCQ.

In line with this, the Metro Manila Council agreed to impose new unified curfew hours in NCR – 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. – starting Monday, April 12, until April 30 as the MECQ implementation starts. (The curfew hours in NCR, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal or NCR Plus were from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. under ECQ from March 29 to April 11.)

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos noted that the local chief executives, under the new rules approved by the IATF, have the power to adjust curfew hours in NCR.

Authorized persons outside residence (APOR) are still exempted from the curfew provided they show proof of identification or certificate of employment to authorities, Abalos said.

Here are the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine or MECQ in the Philippines as of April 3 and announced anew by presidential spokesman Harry Roque on Monday, April 12:

1. Minimum public health standards shall be complied with at all times for the duration of the MECQ.

2. Strict home quarantine shall be observed in all households. The movement of all persons shall be limited to accessing essential goods and services, and for work in permitted offices or establishments or such other activities allowed in this section.

3. Any person below 18 years old, those who are over 65 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 or such other activities permitted in this Section. Local government units (LGUs) may relax the minimum age range down to 15 years old, depending on the COVID-19 situation in their respective jurisdictions. (As amended by Paragraph A of IATF Resolution No. 79, Oct. 15, 2020)

4. All establishments, persons, or activities permitted to operate, work, or be undertaken during ECQ under Section 2(4) of the guidelines shall be allowed to operate at full on-site capacity.

These include:

• Public and private hospitals;

• Health, emergency and frontline services, including those provided by dialysis centers, chemotherapy centers, health maintenance organizations or HMOs, health insurance providers, disaster risk reduction management officers, and public safety officers and the like;

 • Manufacturers of medicines and vitamins, medical supplies, devices and equipment, including suppliers of input, packaging, and distribution;

• 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 fisher folks;

• Logistics service providers (delivery and courier services; cargo handling; warehousing; trucking; freight forwarding; shipping, port and terminal operators);

• 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, diapers, personal hygiene products, toilet paper and wet wipes, and disinfectants;

• Companies that manufacture, distribute 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, hardware, office supplies, bicycle shops, laundry shops, and water-refilling stations;

• Food preparation establishments such as kiosks, 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;

• Public transport providers and operators.

At a maximum of 50 percent on-site capacity:

• Media establishments and their total permanent staff complement, inclusive of reporters and other field employees.

• Dental, rehabilitation, optometry and other medical clinics for the treatment of illness or injuries. Provided, that there is strict observance of infection prevention and control protocols. Provided, further, that dental procedures shall be limited to emergency cases only and that the wearing of full personal protective equipment (PPEs) by dentists and attendants shall be mandatory. Provided, finally, that home service therapy for persons with disabilities (PWDs) shall be allowed;

• 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 janitorial/sanitation services and facilities, including waste disposal services, as well as property management and building utility services;

• Energy sector (oil, gas, and power companies), their third-party contractors and service providers, including employees involved in electric transmission and distribution, electric power plant and line maintenance, electricity market and retail suppliers, as well as those involved in the exploration, operations, trading and delivery of coal, oil, crude or petroleum and by-products (gasoline, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas, jet oil, kerosene, lubricants), including gasoline stations, refineries and depots or any kind of fuel used to produce electricity;

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

• 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;

• 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, for households and essential permitted establishments;

• Establishments engaged in repair and maintenance of motorized and non-motorized vehicles, including the sale of spare parts;

• Leasing of real and personal properties;

• Employment activities that involve the recruitment and placement for permitted sectors;

• 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 who will provide legal representation necessary to protect rights of persons as well as legal services for permitted establishments; and

• All other establishments, to the extent necessary for the buying and selling of consumer goods or services via the internet.

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

Notwithstanding the foregoing, and without prejudice to the authority of Department of Trade and Industry to issue a negative list of industries which shall remain prohibited even in areas under MECQ, the following establishments, persons, or activities shall not be permitted to operate, work, or be undertaken during MECQ:

a. Entertainment venues with live performers such as karaoke bars, bars, clubs, concert halls, theaters, and cinemas;

b. Recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, bowling alleys, and similar venues;

c. Amusement parks or theme parks, fairs/perya, kid amusement industries such as playgrounds, playroom and kiddie rides;

d. Outdoor sports courts or venues for contact sports, scrimmages, games, or activities;

e. Indoor sports courts or venues, fitness studios, gyms, spas or other indoor leisure centers or facilities, and swimming pools;

f. Casinos, horse racing, cockfighting and operation of cockpits, lottery and betting shops, and other gaming establishments except for the draws conducted by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office;

g. Indoor visitor or tourist attractions, libraries, archives, museums, galleries, and cultural shows and exhibits;

h. Outdoor tourist attractions;

i. Venues for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions;

j. Personal care services which include beauty salons, beauty parlors, medical

aesthetic clinics, cosmetic or derma clinics, make-up salons, nail spas, reflexology, aesthetics, wellness and holistic centers, and other similar establishments; acupuncture and electrocautery establishments, and massage therapy including sports therapy establishments. It also includes establishments providing tanning services, body piercings, tattooing and similar services. Home service for these activities are likewise not permitted; and

k. Indoor dine-in services of food preparation establishments such as commissaries, restaurants, and eateries.

6. Agencies and instrumentalities of the government shall be fully operational, with a skeleton workforce on-site and the remainder under alternative work arrangements as approved by the head of agency unless a greater on-site capacity is required in agencies providing health and emergency frontline services, laboratory and testing services, border control, or other critical services, in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations issued by the Civil Service Commission.

7. The co-equal or independent authority of the legislature (Senate and the House of Representatives), the judiciary (the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and the lower courts), the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Constitutional Commissions, to implement any alternative work arrangements, is recognized.

8. Officials and employees of foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), whenever performing diplomatic functions and subject to the guidelines issued by the DFA, may operate with on-site skeleton workforce.

9. Only hotels or accommodation establishments with valid Department of Tourism (DOT) accreditation shall be allowed to accommodate guests and clients for legitimate purposes under a state of public health emergency. The operations of such hotels and accommodation establishments, as well as ancillary establishments within their premises such as restaurants, cafe´s, gyms, spas, function halls, and the like, shall be subject to guidelines issued by the DOT and the IATF. (As amended by Paragraph A(2) of IATF Resolution No. 43, June 3, 2020, and Paragraph C(2)(4) of IATF Resolution No. 95, Jan. 15, 2021)

10. Gatherings outside of residences shall be prohibited. Gatherings at residences with any person outside of one’s immediate household shall likewise be prohibited. However, gatherings that are essential for the provision of health services, government services, or humanitarian activities authorized by the appropriate government agency or instrumentality shall be allowed.

• Religious gatherings shall be allowed up to 10 percent of the venue capacity. Provided, that, there is no objection from the LGU where the religious gathering may take place. Provided, further, that the LGU may increase the allowable venue capacity up to 30 percent. The religious denominations should strictly observe their submitted protocols and the minimum public health standards.

• Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall be allowed, provided that the same shall be limited to immediate family members, upon satisfactory proof of their relationship with the deceased and with full compliance with the prescribed minimum public health standards for the duration of the activity.

• Face-to-face or in-person classes shall be suspended. The education sector shall operate in accordance with the guidelines of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Department of Education.

12. The road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors of public transportation shall be allowed to operate at such capacity and protocols in accordance with guidelines issued by the Department of Transportation (DOTr). The use of active transportation such as biking is encouraged.

13. Law enforcement agencies shall recognize any of the following identification cards or IDs:

• IATF IDs issued by the regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over permitted establishments or persons;

• valid IDs or other pertinent documentations issued by accrediting organizations or establishments allowed under ECQ; and

• if required by the LGU, local IDs for availing of essential goods and services.

No other IDs or passes specifically exempting persons from community quarantine shall be required of workers of permitted establishments and/or offices without prejudice to requiring the presentation of other documents establishing the nature of their work. (As amended by Paragraph B IATF Resolution No. 46, June 15, 2020, and Paragraph B of IATF Resolution no. 106-B, March 28, 2021)

14. 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. (As amended by Paragraph B of IATF Resolution no. 106-B, March 28, 2021)

15. Private corporations are encouraged to process payrolls online. Payroll managers, and such other employees required for the processing of payroll shall be allowed to travel to their respective offices during MECQ. (As amended by Paragraph B of IATF Resolution no. 106-B, March 28, 2021)

16. Individual outdoor exercises such as outdoor walks, jogging, running or biking, are allowed within the general area of their residence, such as within the barangay, purok, subdivision, and/or village. Provided, that the minimum public health standards and precautions such as the wearing of face masks, and the maintenance of social distancing protocols are observed.

17. Uniform curfew hours may be imposed by 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.

18. Any violation of the foregoing prohibitions shall constitute non-cooperation of the person or entities punishable under Section 9 Paragraph (D) or (E), as the case may be, of Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise known as the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations. (As introduced by Paragraph C of IATF Resolution no. 106-B, March 28, 2021)

To compare, here are the Omnibus Guidelines for the Implementation of General Community Quarantine and Modified General Community Quarantine as of April 3, 2021:

General Community Quarantine or GCQ

Any person below 18 years old or above 65 years old, as well as pregnant women and those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity or other health risks are not allowed to leave their homes, except for obtaining essential goods and services or for work in allowed industries.

LGUs may impose uniform curfew hours subject to the guidelines issued by the DILG. Workers, cargo vehicles, public transportation and operating hours of permitted establishments shall not be restricted by such curfew.

Public transportation is allowed to operate at such capacity and protocols in accordance with guidelines issued by the DOTr.

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, provided that the minimum public health standards and no sharing of equipment are observed. Spectators in all non-contact sports and exercises are prohibited.

Gatherings outside of residences shall be prohibited except for those permitted in GCQ areas, such as:

• Religious gatherings of up to 30 percent of the venue capacity, provided that there is no objection the LGU, which may also increase the allowable venue capacity up to 50 percent;

• Gatherings of up to 30 percent of the venue capacity for necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19. The LGUs concerned may also increase the allowable venue capacity up to 50 percent;

• Visits of not more than 10 persons per group and not exceeding 30 percent of the venue capacity of memorial parks, cemeteries and columbaria. The LGUs concerned may also increase the allowable venue capacity up to 50 percent.

The following establishments are not permitted to operate:

• Entertainment venues with live performers such as karaoke bars, clubs, concert halls, theaters and cinemas

• Recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, bowling alleys and similar venues

• Amusement parks or theme parks, fairs or peryas and kid amusement industries such as playgrounds, playroom and kiddie rides

• Casinos, horse racing, cockfighting and other gaming establishments, except those authorized

• Outdoor sports courts or venues for contact sports, scrimmages, games or other activities

Government agencies shall be fully operational and shall operate at a minimum of 30 percent up to full on-site capacity as determined by the head of agency.

Face-to-face classes for basic education are suspended, while limited face-to-face classes for higher education and technical vocational education and training may be allowed subject to the guidelines of CHED and TESDA.

All construction projects are allowed subject to strict compliance with the construction safety guidelines issued by the DPWH.

Only hotels or accommodation establishments with valid accreditation from the DOT shall be allowed to accommodate guests and clients for legitimate purposes under a state of public health emergency.

Modified General Community Quarantine or MGCQ

Any person below 15 years old or above 65 years old, as well as pregnant women and those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity or other health risks are not allowed to leave their homes, except for obtaining essential goods and services or for work in allowed industries.

All activities and movements allowed under stricter forms of community quarantine shall continue to be permitted.

Public transportation is allowed to operate at such capacity and protocols in accordance with guidelines issued by the DOTr.

Gatherings shall be allowed up to 50 percent of the seating or venue capacity, provided, that participants shall strictly observe the minimum public health standards and that establishments or venues comply ventilation standards.

The following establishments are not permitted to operate:

• Entertainment venues such as karaoke bars, bars, clubs, concert halls and theaters

• Fairs or peryas and kid amusement industries such as playgrounds, playroom and kiddie rides

• Cockfighting and operation of cockpits, except for the sole purpose of conducting e-sabong licensed and regulated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

• All private offices may be allowed to operate anywhere between 50 to 100 percent on-site capacity, with work-from-home and other flexible work arrangements encouraged.

• Government agencies shall be fully operational and shall operate at a minimum of 50 percent up to full on-site capacity as determined by the head of agency.

• Indoor and outdoor non-contact sports are allowed, provided that minimum public health standards such as the wearing of masks and the maintenance of social distancing and no sharing of equipment are observed. Those below 15 and above 65 are allowed to take part in outdoor non-contact sports and other forms of exercise.

• Face-to-face classes for basic education are suspended, while limited face-to-face classes for higher education and technical vocational education and training may be allowed subject to the guidelines of CHED and TESDA.