Government will allow workers in select industries to cross from GCQ to ECQ areas

MANILA – People will be allowed to travel to work from one area under general community quarantine (GCQ) to another area under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) if the establishment or industry that employs them is deemed “indispensable,” Malacanang said Tuesday. .

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said workers traveling from the GCQ to ECQ areas only need to present IDs to show where they live and where they work, as well as their employment certificate.

“Meron na po tayong rule na pag between ECQ and GCQ, is an indispensable industry for lovers of peace, the world and manga. Magdala Lang ID magpapatunay kung saan sila nagtatrabaho ID and magpapatunay kung saan sila nakatira ID”, said Roque.

(We have a rule that travels between ECQ and GCQ, as long as it’s an indispensable industry that they are allowed to open, workers can cross. Just bring an ID as proof of where they work and an ID as proof of where they live.)

Roque also previously said that the movement of people in areas under the modified ECQ will continue to be limited to essential services and commute to work.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police has also said that people stranded due to confinement will not be able to immediately return to their towns or provinces once the ECQ is lifted.

Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, commander of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, said they expect a possible exodus of people to their hometowns, especially those who were trapped in their workplaces and rented houses and pensions.

Eleazar said they are now preparing for security measures for this.

“There is already a guideline on our locally stranded individuals (LSI), so we encourage our Kababayans to take notice and follow it because they can interpret the lifting of the ECQ as a one-way signal for them to return to their home cities. ” We will not allow that, “Eleazar said in a statement Monday.

According to guidelines issued by the government agency tasked with controlling the spread of COVID-19, a person who wants to return to their hometown must first obtain a medical certificate from the health offices of the local government units where they were stranded. The certificate must state that they are free of the coronavirus and have undergone the necessary quarantine procedures.

Local officials in their home cities must also provide certification that they are accepting their returning constituents.

These two documents will be processed by the interested police commanders for the issuance of the travel authority. The travel authority includes the date of travel, the point of origin and destination, and the name of the driver and the vehicles that will be used in the transport.

Eleazar said that if the area involved is within the province, the certification could be issued by the provincial commander; if the area involves two provinces within a region, the certification could be ensured by the regional police director; and, if the areas involved two regions, the certification will come from the Director of the PNP Operations Directorate.

Those who became infected but were able to recover, Eleazar said, should test negative in at least two tests and should have undergone the necessary quarantine protocols before being allowed to return to their home villages.

These stringent measures will be implemented to prevent carriers of asymptomatic viruses from spreading the new coronavirus, the police officer said.

Eleazar added that the Joint Task Force expects the LGUs to come up with their own guidelines for returning constituents who were stranded in other areas, especially in places where COVID-19 cases are high.

However, he stressed that the guideline that would be implemented by UGLs should be in line with the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Working Group for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.