Quarantine pass still required in NCR despite less strict GCQ — MMC

MANILA, Philippines — Quarantine passes are still required to restrict the movement of people in Metro Manila despite the enforcement of the less restrictive general community quarantine (GCQ), Parañaque Mayor and Metro Manila Council (MMC) chairman Edwin Olivarez said Wednesday.

“I-implement natin, kahit GCQ, yung pag-limit sa paglabas ng tao — yung tinatawag na home quarantine pass na kailangan po isa lang per household ang lalabas dito,” Olivarez said over Teleradyo, responding to queries about new guidelines for GCQ in Metro Manila.

(We will implement, despite GCQ, we will limit the travel of people, using home quarantine passes which would allow only one person per household to go outside of their homes.)

However, Olivarez said authorized workers are exempted from the quarantine pass as they can present their IDs to law enforcers when going outside for essential travel.

Quarantine passes were no longer needed when the government imposed GCQ in Metro Manila last May. It was later mandated by local government units when Metro Manila returned to stricter coronavirus lockdown last Aug. 4 until Aug. 18.

Earlier, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said mayors in Metro Manila agreed to pass an ordinance for enforcing 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew hours which is longer than the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew hours when GCQ was first in effect last May.

As of Aug. 18, the Department of Health documented 169,213 total COVID-19 cases nationwide including 112,861 recoveries and 2,687 deaths.

Of the total number of cases, 94,842 cases were recorded from Metro Manila.

EDV