OMNIBUS GUIDELINES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITY QUARANTINE IN THE PHILIPPINES
Page 8 - Section (3) Guidelines for areas under General Community Quarantine. Areas placed under GCQ should observe the following protocols:
1. Minimum public health standards shall be complied with at all times for the duration of the GCQ.
2. The movement of all persons in areas placed under GCQ shall be limited to accessing essential goods and services, and for work in the offices or industries permitted to operate hereunder. Provided, the movement for leisure purposes shall not be allowed.
3. Any person below 21 years old, those who are 60 years old and above, and those with immunodeficiency, comorbidities, or other health risks, and pregnant women, including any person who resides with the aforementioned, shall be required to remain in the residences at all times, except when indispensable under the circumstances for essential goods and services or for work in permitted industries and offices.
4. Work in government offices may be at full operational capacity, or under such alternative work arrangements as agencies medium proper in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations issued by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
5. Accredited diplomatic missions and international organizations may be at 50% operational capacity. alternative work arrangements such as flexible work arrangements compressed workweek, telework, and telecommuting are strongly encouraged.
6. The following sectors or industries shall be allowed to operate:
A. Category I Industries - Agriculture, fishery, and forestry industries, food manufacturing, and food supply chain businesses, including food retail establishments such as supermarkets, grocery stores, and food preparation establishments in so far as takeout & delivery services, food delivery services, health-related establishments, the logistics sector, information technology, and telecommunication companies, and the media, at full operational capacity;
B. Category II Industries - Mining and other manufacturing, export-oriented, and electronic commerce companies, as well as other delivery, repair and maintenance, and housing and office services, at anywhere between 50% up to full operational capacity, and without prejudice to work from home and other alternative work arrangements; and
C. Category III Industries - Financial services, BPOs, legal and accounting, and auditing services, professional, scientific, technical, and other non-leisure services, barbershops, salon, and other personal care services as defined by the DTI, and other non-leisure wholesale and retail establishments at a maximum of 50% work on-site arrangement, and without prejudice to the work from home and other alternative work arrangements.
Specific industries under each category are reflected in a separate document issued by the DTI.
7. Limited Operations in malls and shopping centers shall be allowed, except for leisure exhibitions and services which shall continue to be closed. Provided, that establishments and other services allowed to operate in malls and shopping centers may only operate at the capacity consistent with the item (5) of this Section. Provided, further, those ages below 21 years old, and those 60 years old and above may not enter malls and shopping centers, except when indispensable under the circumstances for obtaining essential goods and services or for work in establishments located therein. Provided, finally, that DTI may issue guidelines to limit food traffic in such establishments.
8. Essential public and private construction projects, such as but not limited to sewerage, water services facilities, and digital works, and facilities, and priority projects, shall be allowed to operate in accordance with guidelines issued by the DPWH, reflected in a separate issuance.
9. Amusement, gaming, and fitness establishments, as well as those in decades and the tourism industries, and all Category IV industries may not operate. Industries in Category IV are reflected in the separate DTI Issuance mentioned above.
10. No hotels or similar establishments shall be allowed to operate, except those accommodating the following:
a. For areas outside Luzon, guests who have existing booking accommodations for foreigners as of May 1, 2020.
b. Guests who have existing long-term bookings;
c. Distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and stranded Filipinos or foreign nationals;
d. Repatriated OFWs in compliance with approved quarantine protocols;
e. Non-OFWs who may be required to undergo mandatory facility-based quarantine; and
f. Healthcare workers and other employees from exempted establishments under these Omnibus Guidelines and applicable Memoranda from the Executive Secretary.
Provided that in all of the foregoing, hotel operations shall be limited to the provision of basic lodging to guests.
11. Physical classes shall be suspended for the duration of the GCQ.
This notwithstanding, Higher Education Institutions (HEI) May hold classes through flexible learning arrangements to finish the academic year 2019-2020 and may operate at a limited capacity to receive students' requirements and prepare and issue credentials to students subject to the guidelines as may be issued by the Commission on Higher Education.
12. The prohibition on mass gatherings as provided in Section 2 of these guidelines shall also be applicable to areas placed under GCQ.
13. The road, real, maritime, and aviation sectors of public transportation shall operate at a reduced capacity in accordance with the guidelines issued by the DOTr. Provided, in all public transports, a stricken meter distance between passengers should be observed and appropriate engineering controls in place.
Section (4) GUIDELINES FOR INTERZONAL MOVEMENT. This section shall apply to the transit of people and goods from (a) an ECQ area to a GCQ area, and vice versa, and (b) an area not under community quarantine to a GCQ or ECQ area, and vice versa. In the case of transit across localities in the same community quarantine setup, such transits will be treated as movements within a single GCQ or ECQ zone.
1. The non-essential entry and exit of people to and from the ECQ zone shall be prohibited, except: (1) health workers, (2) government officials and government frontline personnel, (3) those traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, (4) persons transiting to the airport for travel abroad, (5) workers in permitted establishments and persons providing essential goods and services and public utilities, (6) essential skeletal workforce, (7) repatriated OFWs and non-OFWs returning to the residences, and (8) other person's transported through the efforts of the national government of upon conduct of the necessary quarantine protocols and in concurrent with the receiving LGUs;
2. The movement of all types of cargoes by land, air, or sea within and across areas placed under ECQ or GCQ shall be unhampered. Workers In the logistics sector, such as cargo, trucking, and port operations shall likewise be allowed to transit across areas placed under ECQ or GCQ. All LGUs are directed to strictly abide by this national policy. Provided, and that only a maximum of five personnel may operate cargo and delivery vehicles by land, with or without load.
LGUs and local health units (LHUs) are hereby and joined not to issue orders contrary to or inconsistent with the said directive, such as but not limited to, requiring asymptomatic drivers and crew of cargo or service delivery vehicles to undergo mandatory 14 day home quarantine. Provided, further, and that streak social distancing measures must be strictly observed, which may include, if necessary, the putting up of additional safe and humane seats or space and the vehicles. Provided, finally, that the PNP retains its authority to conduct inspection procedures in checkpoints for the purpose of ensuring that protocols on the strict home quarantine are observed.
3. Land, air, or sea travel by uniformed personnel and government officials and employees for official business, with the corresponding travel authority, especially those transporting medical supplies and laboratory specimens related to Covid-19, and other relief and humanitarian assistance, shall be allowed.
4. OFWs, permanent residents of foreign jurisdictions, and stranded foreign nationals may leave for abroad through any of the airports or seaports in areas placed under ECQ or GCQ without any impediment. Provided that this provision shall not be interpreted to allow outbound travel by Filipinos to countries where travel restrictions are in place. Provided, further, that departing passengers may be accompanied by not more than one person when traveling to any international port, who shall be allowed to return to his or her point of origin.
5. Repatriated OFWs or returning non-OFWs who have been issued a DOH or LGU Certificate of completion 14-day facility-based quarantine, or those who may be required to undergo a mandatory 14 day home quarantine shall be granted Unhampered transit across zones en route to their final destinations in the Philippines. For this purpose, LGUs are enjoined to allow maritime vessels or aircraft transporting the aforementioned OFWs and non-OFWs to dock or land at their ports of destination.
SECTION (5) GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. LGUs are enjoined to enact and the necessary ordinances to enforce curfew for non-workers in jurisdictions placed under GCQ and to penalize, in a fair and humane manner, violations of the restrictions on the movement of people as provided under these Omnibus Guidelines.
2. For residential and commercial rents falling within the duration of the ECQ or GCQ upon residential lessees and micro-, small, and medium enterprises (MSME’s) not permitted to operate during the said period, a grace period of 30 days from the last and read it, or until such time that the community quarantine is a lifted shall be observed, whichever is longer, without incurring interests, penalties, fees, or other charges.
3. All persons are mandated to wear face masks, earloop masks, indigenous, reusable, do-it-yourself masks, or face shields, handkerchiefs, or such other protective equipment or any combination thereof, which can effectively lessen the transmission of Covid-19, whenever they go out of their residences, pursuant to existing guidelines issued by the national government. Concerned LGU’s are hereby enjoined to issue the necessary executive order or ordinance to that effect and to provide fair and humane penalties.
4. Supermarkets, public and private wet markets, grocery stores, agri-fishery supply stores, veterinary supply stores, pharmacies, drug stores, and other retail establishments engaged in the business of selling essential goods are strongly encouraged to extend their store operations to a maximum of 12 hours. LGUs are directed to allow such establishments to operate pursuant to the foregoing. Provided that in the operation of wet markets, LGU’s are encouraged to adopt reasonable schemes to ensure compliance with social distancing measures, such as, but not limited to, providing for specific daily schedules per sector, barangay, or purok, as the case may be. In no case shall such schemes to evolve and narrowing the hours of operation of the foregoing establishments.
5. Minimum public health standards shall be complied with at all times for the duration of the GCQ.9 cases, whether confirmed, recovered, or undergoing treatment, as well as suspect and probable cases, and persons under monitoring are denounced in the strongest of terms. Acts in furtherance of discrimination, such as, but not limited to, coercion, libel, slander, physical injuries, and other dishonor of contractual obligations such as contracts of lease or employment, shall be dealt with criminally, civilly, and/or administratively. LGUs are enjoined to issue the necessary executive orders and or enact ordinances prohibiting and penalizing and discriminatory acts.
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