PNP ordered to check business establishments, quarantine hotels under Alert Level 3

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Eduardo Año has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct random visits to business establishments and quarantine hotels, as Metro Manila was placed on COVID-19 Alert Level 3 starting January 3.

“So, nagbigay po ng direktiba si Secretary Eduardo Año na magkaroon ng random visit ang ating kapulisan sa iba’t ibang mga business establishments para po siguruhing nasusunod itong IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) regulations na ito,” Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said during the Laging Handa briefing.

(So, Secretary Eduardo Año gave a directive to our police force to conduct random visits in business establishments to ensure that IATF regulations are followed.)

“At siya po ay nagbigay din ng direktiba na bisitahin o magkaroon ng random visit sa iba’t ibang mga quarantine hotels sa buong bansa ang PNP,” he said.

(He also gave an order to the PNP to do random visits in different quarantine hotels across the country.)

Under Alert Level 3, businesses are allowed to operate if their workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. They are also mandated to only accommodate fully vaccinated clients or customers; and utilize only 30 percent capacity of their indoor areas and 50 percent capacity of their outdoor areas.

Meanwhile, Malaya pointed out that there are six to eight quarantine hotels in Metro Manila that accommodate returning overseas Filipinos and overseas Filipino workers who are coronavirus-positive.

“At gusto po ni Secretary Año na ito ay bisitahin ng ating kapulisan at i-check kung nandoon ba talaga iyong mga taong nasa listahan na still under quarantine at hindi pa lumalabas ang kanilang resulta ng RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) para po masiguro na wala na pong—para mapigilan iyong sinasabing modus na absentee quarantine,” he said.

(Secretary Año also wanted the police to visit and check if the person under quarantine is in the facility while the result of the RT-PCR test is not yet released to prevent absentee quarantine.)

Año further tasked the PNP to strictly enforce granular lockdowns as part of the alert level system, Malaya said.

Of the five-tier alert level system, Metro Manila reverts to Alert Level 3 from January 3-15 as new COVID-19 infections continue to rise and more Omicron variant cases are detected.

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