Following the announcement of the national government earlier this morning on the next measures after the extended Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) ends on April 30, the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) recommends Palawan to be one of the areas to be placed under a General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
The IATF has recommended to shift from ECQ to GCQ for moderate and low risks provinces, and to implement a relax GCQ for low risk provinces by May 16 if no deterioration in condition. Under the GCQ, of which the guidelines will be issued next week, starting on the first day of May, the public transportation will resume in reduced capacity according to the guidelines of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), citizens may allowed to go out but only for accessing basic necessities, colleges may continue classes in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), curfew and checkpoint will be still present, and sectors in categories I, II and III may continue to work or operate in phases.
And according to the information shared by PIA-Palawan, the category/sectors under Category I are sectors working under agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors, food manufacturing and all supply chains, including ink, packaging and raw materials, supermarkets, hospitals, logistics, water, energy, internet, telecommunications and media.
The Category II includes workers under the manufacturing, electronics and exports, e-commerce, and delivery essentials items and non-essential items, repair and maintenance services, housing, and office services while the Category III includes workers under financial services, business process outsourcing (BPO), non-leisure wholesale and retail trade, and other non-leisure services.
From the information shared by PTV, the option to shift to GCQ in moderate to low risk areas by industry, a consideration for a 100 percent opening are given to sectors belonging to agriculture, fishery, forestry; food manufacturing and its entire supply chain (including ink, packaging, raw materials, etc.); food retail (supermarket, market, resto for takeout and delivery only); healthcare (hospitals, clinics, drugstore); energy, internet, telecoms; water, logistics, and the media.
A consideration for a 50 percent to 100 percent opening is given to other manufacturing, like electronics, and exports; E-commerce and delivery for essentials and non-essential items; repair and maintenance services; housing and office services; while sectors under the financial services, BPO, other non-leisure wholesale and retail trade and other non-leisure services, a 50 percent on site and 50 percent work from home measure are advised to be taken for consideration.
The IATF recommended a 100 percent closure in schools, leisure, amusement; gaming; fitness; “kid” industry; tourism; all gatherings, including religious, conferences, etc; and limited opening only for malls and limited construction activity.
The AITF also reminds the public living in places under GCQ that those with ages below 21 years old and those 60 years old and above, as well as those with ages ranging from 21 years old but below 60 years old but reside with persons with co-morbidities or other risk factors, shall remain at home.
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