The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on Thursday, October 15, 2020, approved the adjustment of age-based stay-at-home restrictions. Persons from 15 to 65 years of age are now allowed to go out. Local government units (LGUs) may impose a higher age limit for minors, depending on the COVID-19 situation in their respective jurisdictions.
The IATF likewise made more specific the definitions of interzonal movement and intrazonal movement. Interzonal movement is defined as the movement of people, goods and services between provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities under different community quarantine classification. Intrazonal movement, meanwhile, refers to the movement of people, goods and services between provinces, highly urbanized cities and independent component cities under the same community quarantine classification, without transiting through an area placed under a different classification.
Related to Interzonal and Intrazonal Movement, the IATF considered health and emergency frontline services personnel, government officials and government frontline personnel, duly-authorized humanitarian assistance actors, persons travelling for medical or humanitarian reasons, persons going to the airport for travel abroad, and anyone crossing zones for work or business permitted in the zone of destination and going back home as Authorized Persons Outside Their Residences (APOR).
The IATF likewise updated their list of APOR, which now includes returning or repatriated overseas Filipino workers and overseas Filipinos returning to their places of residence and other persons transported through the efforts of the national government upon observance of the necessary quarantine protocols with the concurrence of the receiving LGUs.
The interzonal movement of persons not authorized outside of residences (non-APOR) between areas placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) or modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) for any purpose shall be permitted, subject to the reasonable regulations imposed by the LGU concerned, or in the case of Boracay Island, subject to those imposed by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force.
The same applies with the intrazonal movement of non-APORs across areas placed under GCQ or MGCQ and the interzonal movement of non-APORs between areas placed under MGCQ and the New Normal.
Related to this is the issue of curfews. The IATF enjoined LGUs not to cover workers, APORs, and necessary establishments in the application of their curfew ordinances, to coordinate between and among each other and standardize curfew rules, and relax curfew hours.
As part of the gradual reopening of the economy, the IATF authorized the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to adjust the permissible on-site operational capacities of all business establishments and/or activities under GCQ or lower.
Also, business establishments and malls may hold activities to spur consumer and economic activity, subject to the DTI guidelines in the operations of malls and shopping malls.
The Department of Tourism (DOT), meanwhile, is given authority to determine the allowable operational capacity for accommodation establishments as well as the ancillary establishments within their premises.
In addition, the IATF revised the 48-hour-prior-to-the-date-of-arrival negative RT-PCR requirement to those traveling to Boracay Island contained in IATF Resolution No. 74. The Test-Before-Travel requirement now stands not earlier than 72 hours prior to the date of travel.
In the same 79th meeting, the IATF lifted the restriction of non-essential outbound travel of Filipinos effective October 21, 2020. They may be allowed to leave the country subject to the submission of confirmed roundtrip tickets and adequate travel and health insurance for those traveling in tourist visas, execution of an immigration declaration acknowledging the risks involved in traveling and a negative Antigen result taken within 24 hours before departure, subject to the Department of Health (DOH) guidelines. Outbound Filipino travelers shall likewise follow the Guidelines of the National Task Force (NTF) for returning overseas Filipinos.
Also approved, subject to conditions, are the holding of a beach volleyball tournament by the Philippine Super Liga under a “sports bubble concept,” operation of off-track horse race betting stations under GCQ or lower, and operation of licensed cockpits and the conduct of cockfighting activities in areas under MGCQ or lower.
