Religious gatherings, indoor dining, and other leisure activities will be allowed in the National Capital Region (NCR) and its surrounding provinces once it is placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions starting on Saturday.
During his public address on Thursday, President Rodrigo R. Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to slightly relax the quarantine restriction in NCR Plus, which includes Metro Manila, Laguna, Bulacan, Rizal, and Cavite.
Currently NCR plus is under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
Allowed operations
Under GCQ with heightened restrictions, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said indoor dine-in services shall be in NCR plus at 20 percent venue or seating capacity, while outdoor or al fresco dining shall be at 50 percent venue or seating capacity
Religious gatherings and gatherings for necrological services, wakes, internment and funerals for those who died of causes other than Covid-19 in NCR Plus shall be allowed up to 10 percent of the venue capacity.
Also continued to be allowed in GCQ areas with heightened restrictions are non-contact sports, games, scrimmages held outdoors; and personal care services that allow for services not requiring mask removal, such as salons, parlors, beauty clinics, etc. at 30 percent capacity.
However, the following establishments will remain banned from operating under GCQ with heightened restrictions: entertainment venues, such as bars, concert halls, theaters, etc; recreational venues, such as internet cafes, billiards halls, arcades, etc; amusement parks, fairs, playgrounds, kiddie rides; indoor sports courts and venues and indoor tourist attractions; venues for meetings, conferences, exhibitions
Movement rules
Outdoor tourist attractions in NCR Plus will also be opened at 30 percent with strict adherence to minimum public health standards.
Roque said travel into and out of the NCR Plus shall be allowed, but only for “essential purposes.”
“Interzonal travel from NCR Plus areas, except those conducted by Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs), shall remain prohibited in GCQ areas with heightened restrictions,” Roque said.
Other classifications
Aside from NCR plus, the IATF also opted to ease the community quarantine classifications in other MECQ areas.
It placed the Cordillera Administrative Region, such as Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Abra; Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya in Region 2; Batangas and Quezon in Region 4-A; Puerto Princesa in Region 4-B; Iligan City in Region 10; Davao City in Region 11; and Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao under regular GCQ.
However, the City of Santiago and Quirino Province in Region 2; Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region; and Zamboanga City in Region 9 will remain under MECQ.
“All other areas shall be placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) until month’s end,” Roque said.
The new community quarantine classifications approved by President Duterte will take effect from May 15 to May 31, 2021.
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