Metro Manila is set to pilot a new community quarantine system by Sept. 16, Malacañang said Friday, as the government tests a new policy to slow the spread of the hyper contagious coronavirus Delta variant.
If you're in the metropolis, forget the four-tier quarantine levels. Under the new system, it's either ECQ or GCQ with the latter being implemented in tandem with an alert level system.
"Yung pupwede at hindi pupwede sa ECQ at GCQ ay hindi gaya ng dati. Ang pupuwede at hindi pupuwede ay depende sa alert level na ipapataw sa lugar," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.
The ECQ rules are similar to the hard lockdown system where only establishments offering basic goods and services are allowed to operate.
For GCQ, basically, the alert level system will serve as a guide in determining the operational capacity of the following types of establishments:
- Close-contact establishments: barbershops, salons, nail salons, spas, massage parlors, and the like
- Crowded establishments: churches and other places of worships, convention centers, exhibitions, and the like
- Closed-area establishments: indoor dining areas
The alert level system for GCQ is as follows with the corresponding operational capacity for the mentioned industries:
- Alert Level 1: Full capacity with minimum public health standards
- Alert Level 2: 50% operational capacity
- Alert Level 3: up to 30% capacity
- Alert Level 4: prohibited from operating
Businesses that have obtained a COVID-19 safety seal from the government may increase their operating capacity by 10% based on the provisional guidelines.
In terms of mobility, alert level 4 is the strictest with minors, senior citizens older than 65, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised prohibited from going out of their homes.
Roque said specific details of what's allowed and what's prohibited in the varying alert levels are still being ironed by the inter-agency task force on pandemic response.
Metro Manila remains under MECQ until Sept. 15.