MANILA, Philippines — Checkpoints have been tightened at various border points in Batangas as the new restrictions prohibit movement into and out of the general community quarantine (GCQ) bubble, which includes neighboring provinces Laguna and Cavite.
Radyo Inquirer video shows police officers manning checkpoints in different parts of Batangas, specifically along its borders with Cavite and Laguna.
Cavite and Laguna are part of the bubble that includes Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Rizal. The system was put in place to control the region’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Police put up checkpoints at the key entry points between Sto. Tomas town in Batangas and Laguna, including Barangay Anastacia in Sto. Tomas, Barangay Makiling in Calamba City, and Barangay San Agustin in Alaminos, Laguna.
According to Lt. Pauline Fernando of the Sto. Tomas Police Station, despite the checkpoints, there have been no significant changes in the implementation of health protocols and security checkups, except that only people doing essential travel are allowed inside and outside of the bubble.
“Our tightening up at checkpoints is nothing new for us, except that during the ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] before we were very selective in who could get out compared to the GCQ [general community quarantine] now. Back then we only allowed those making essential trips,” Fernando said in Filipino.
READ: NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal under GCQ until April 4 — IATF
READ: FAQs: What’s a GCQ bubble?
The Philippines is currently experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases, which several health experts have attributed to the spread of variants of concern.
On Monday, the Department of Health recorded 8,019 new COVID-19 cases — the highest single-day increase recorded since the pandemic reached the country and the fourth consecutive day that new cases reached over 7,000.
READ: PH’s new all-time high: 8,019 fresh COVID-19 cases