MANILA, Philippines — The government will allow personnel of universities and colleges in areas outside the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to operate starting May 4, 2020, to prepare online classes and materials for the next school year.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque announced Tuesday that this was among the approved recommendations in the latest meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
However, the higher education institutions will only be allowed to operate with a skeletal workforce and “only for the purposes of finishing the Academic Year 2019-2020 to issue credentials to students and to prepare for flexible learning arrangements for the next Academic Year.”
Meanwhile, the proposal to move the opening of classes to September in areas to be placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) “stays”, subject to the approval of Education officials, Roque noted.
President Duterte earlier approved the extension of the ECQ in Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon with a high risk of COVID-19 infection until May 15.
Other areas in Luzon that are not included in the extension will be placed under GCQ where some restrictions will be relaxed.