What is General Community Quarantine?

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved revisions to the list of areas that will be placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until May 15, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Some quarantine rules will be relaxed, several non-essential businesses will be allowed to reopen, and the so-called “new normal” will be in place in the areas deemed to have low to moderate number of COVID-19 cases.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday announced that several provinces in the country, including some areas in Luzon, will be placed under “general community quarantine” or GCQ when the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine ends on April 30.

Here are the Guidelines on General Community Quarantine:

Workers under sector one, two, and three can work through work in a phased system
Children aged 0-20 and elderly aged 60 and above are still urged to stay home
Mall opening would be allowed except for leisure shops
Priority and essential construction projects could resume
Public transportation could resume at reduced capacity
Local Government Units could impose curfew during the night for non-workers
Social Amelioration Program budget for these provinces may be reallocated to those who are still under the enhanced community quarantine
Higher Educational Institutions are allowed to finish and give credentials to students
100% closure of schools because virus transmitters are majorly the young people aged 0-20
Late re-opening of classes on September except for online learning
100% closure of leisure facilities such as fitness gym and gaming shops
Prohibition of tourism and gatherings including religious conferences

The IATF also gave options per industry for areas that could be shifted to GCQ from being under ECQ after evaluation:

Airports and ports could open but only for transportation of goods only
100% opening of agriculture, poultry, and fishery industry as well as the manufacturing and food packaging
Opening of food retail and restaurants but for delivery and take-out only
Opening of hospitals, logistics, water, energy, internet, telecommunication, and media offices
50% on-site work and 50% work from home operations
Opening of financial services, BPO, and other non-leisure retail trade and services

President Rodrigo Duterte urged owners of malls, bazaars, and other shopping centers to ensure the health and safety of their workers once the general community quarantine (GCQ) or the “new normal” starts on May 1.

READ: PH looking forward to Modified Quarantine

“Iyong mga tindahan (Those stores), ‘yung mga (those) bazaars, mga malls — big or small — it behooves upon you to see to it that the workers are protected,” Duterte said in a televised public address on Monday night.

He said mall owners should also disinfect their workplaces and provide durable masks for their employees.

“The sanitation of the place must be guaranteed and that the employees are provided with durable and workable masks,” he said.

ALSO READ: List of regions and provinces will continue the ECQ until May 15

As of Monday, the Philippines has a total of 7,777 confirmed cases of Covid-19, 511 deaths, and 932 recoveries.

Source: PNA