By
The SUN
 |
| The curfew will be extended from 6pm to 5am (Rappler photo) |
The Philippine government will put Metro Manila and its
four neighboring provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal back under “enhanced
community quarantine”, a virtual lockdown, starting Monday, Mar
29.
The strictest quarantine restrictions were
recommended by the government’s anti-epidemic task force and approved by
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier today, according to a statement released by Malacanang.
 |
| Pindutin para sa detalye |
The ECQ, which will last until Apr 4, is a throwback
to the early days of the pandemic in the Philippines, when much of the country
was locked down because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
The situation is even direr now, with daily
coronavirus infections rising to record highs. Today’s daily tally of 9,595 is
just slightly lower than yesterday’s all-time record of 9,838 cases.
 |
| PRESS FOR DETAILS |
The number of active infections is also at a record
high of 118,122 cases, or 16.6% of the total tally of 712,442.
 |
| All public transportation will continue to operate, but with limited capacity |
Under the ECQ that will take place from Monday, the following will be observed:
·
All public transportation will continue to
run, subject to such capacity and guidelines to be issued by the Department of
Transportation.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
·
Construction projects will also go ahead,
subject to guidelines from the Department of Public Works and Highways.
·
A longer curfew from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. will
also be in place, while restaurant dine-is will be prohibited.
 | |
|
·
Public gatherings of more than 10 people,
as well as religious gatherings, are also not allowed.
·
Local government units will set up centers that will find, trace
and isolate suspected Covid-19 cases
 |
| PRESS FOR DETAILS |
·
Municipality or city-scale lockdowns will be implemented in
other areas such as the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Calabarzon and
Region 3, especially Zambales
·
Implementation of simultaneous vaccination of frontline health
workers and senior citizens, with a substitution list that will include those
with co-morbities
 |
| It's not clear if people will be asked to show quarantine passes when they go out |
In his briefing about the ECQ, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque did not, however, give any categorical answer to the question of whether quarantine passes will still be needed to go out. He suggested that people can simply explain to authorities why they are outside of their homes.
 |
| Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love |
He
also did not respond fully to questions on whether aid will be forthcoming for
those who will be adversely affected by the shutdown.
Roque
said the government was forced to abandon its previous policy of not reverting
to ECQ again as data showed that the healthcare system in the region has
reached critical level.
He
said declaring the lockdown during Holy Week makes sense as it will give the healthcare
system a break, while there will be limited impact on the economy because of the
long holiday from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday.
 | ||
| CALL US NOW! |
 |
| Call Us! |
 |
| CALL US! |
