DILG Spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya has reiterated that only essential travel will be allowed inside and outside the NCR+ travel bubble after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) yesterday placed Metro Manila along with provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal under general community quarantine (GCQ) until April 4, 2021
According to Malaya, essential workers just need to show their identification cards (IDs). Other individuals who can go in and out of the travel bubble are:
–health and emergency frontline services personnel
–government employees with essential purpose
–companies with humanitarian purposes
–persons travelling for medical reasons
–persons going to airport to travel outside the country
–returning overseas Filipinos
“Lahat po ng hindi pasok dito sa pamantayang ito gaya ng lalabas para sa leisure o lalabas para sa travel and tourism purposes ay hindi po pinapahintulutan ngayon (Everyone who does not qualify for the exemptions including going out for leisure or travel and tourism purposes will not be allowed at this time),” Usec. Malaya cited in the Laging Handa Public Briefing aired over PTV.
“Hindi po kayo papayagang lumabas sa mga checkpoints at hindi rin po kayo papayagang makalabas sa ating mga airports and seaports as well (You will not be allowed to go beyond the checkpoints and you will not be allowed to go out through the airports and seaports as well),” Malaya further warned.
To ensure that the public will properly comply with the guidelines, the DILG official said 20 quarantine controlled points have been deployed and are being manned by police personnel.
“Hindi po tayo maglalagay ng mga checkpoints sa mga barangay or loob ng Metro Manila for the purposes of travel bubble. Kagabi po ng alas-dose ng hatinggabi ay nakapag-set-up na ang ating Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID SHIELD (We will not place checkpoints in barangays or within Metro Manila for the purposes of travel bubble. At 12 midnight, our Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID SHIELD was able to do the set-up),” Malaya clarified.
Passengers inside public utility vehicles may need to get off for proper checking while those inside private vehicles need to show proper documents that their travel is for essential purposes.
Despite that fact that there are no travel restrictions within local government units (LGUs) inside the travel bubble, Usec. Malaya encouraged the public to just stay at home and help minimize the spread of COVID-19 infections.
“Unang una there’s a [COVID-19] variant in Metro Manila at ayaw natin ng superspreader events na magpapataas pa ng 7,500 o makaabot pa ng 10, 000 (daily cases) ‘yan. Huwag na po tayong gumala ng gumala (First of all, there’s a [COVID-19] variant in Metro Manila and we do not like superspreader events that will spike up beyond 7,500 or 10, 000 (daily cases). Let’s not roam around),” Malaya urged. -Patrick de Jesus
