GCQ BUBBLE. A face mask and face shield combo is a must for passengers of a jeepney plying the Malabon-Monumento route on Wednesday, Aug. 19, as the National Capital Region reverted to general community quarantine. The more relaxed lockdown also meant the return of public transport. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday reminded the Philippine National Police (PNP) as well as local government units (LGU) to strictly prohibit any form of mass gatherings in the National Capital Region (NCR) and neighboring provinces.
DILG officer-in-charge Bernardo Florece Jr. said the police force and LGUs need to “tighten their protocols” as the COVID-19 cases in the country increase, especially with the latest regulations imposed in NCR and nearby areas of Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna from March 22 to April 4, 2021.
“Mass gatherings put the people, their families, and communities at risk of contracting the virus. They can become super-spreader events. We, therefore, need everyone’s cooperation on the measures that the government is imposing to prevent the spread of the virus,” Florece said in a statement.
“LGUs should immediately deploy their COVID-marshalls, Barangay Disiplina Brigades, barangay tanods and other force multipliers to enforce the prohibition against mass gatherings,” he added.
Further, Florece encouraged the public to report mass gatherings in their area to Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTS) and the police.
The PNP has also deployed some 10,000 police officers in Metro Manila to enforce the prohibition against mass gatherings.
Florece also ordered PNP to conduct border checkpoints in the areas in the “general community quarantine bubble” to prevent the entry and exit of non-essential workers and to enforce the uniform curfew hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte.
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Earlier, the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) placed NCR, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna the under general community quarantine (GCQ) from March 22 to April 4 per Resolution 104 of the IATF. – Liezelle Soriano Roy, Trainee