Cargo shipments are excluded from travel restrictions imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Philippines.
The President on March 12 suspended land and domestic air and sea travel to and from Metro Manila from March 15 to April 14, as part of a “community quarantine” on the metro.
The decision is, subject to daily assessment, he added.
In a Malacañang press briefing on March 13, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said there will be no business disruptions and that supply of basic goods will not be hampered during the quarantine.
“Cargoes can move in and out of Metro Manila” during such period, he added.
In a text message on March 12, Lopez had a similar message: food and non-food cargoes are “ok to move.”
READ: Domestic travel to/from MM suspended; cargo shipments exempt
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) convened to craft guidelines and exemptions on the Metro Manila travel restrictions, according to Cabinet Secretary Karl Alexei Nograles.
He reiterated the travel suspension will be reviewed on a daily basis and “may be lifted earlier if the situation allows it or extended further if the situation requires it.”
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager Atty. Jay Daniel Santiago, in a text message to PortCalls on March 12, said they are still “trying to clarify” the coverage of the travel restriction.
“Based on the IATF resolution, foreign ships bringing cargoes into the Philippines are not mentioned, so therefore no ban. Domestic cargo we are seeking clarification but I will assume no ban also, otherwise it will be a logistics nightmare,” Santiago said.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) assistant secretary Goddes Hope Libiran, in a message to PortCalls also on March 12, said the transport department’s road sector and the Department of Health will meet tomorrow (March 13) to define implementation guidelines.
Updates will be provided once guidelines are available, Libiran said.
Philippine Airlines, in an advisory to passengers, said it is coordinating with government authorities to obtain official guidelines on domestic air travel to and from Metro Manila.
The President on March 12 raised COVID-19 alert level to the maximum Code Red Sublevel 2, placing Metro Manila in a community quarantine as recommended by the IATF in its Resolution No. 11.
An executive order will be issued soon to operationalize the order.
The travel restriction covers 16 cities and one municipality of Metro Manila.
Mass transportation within Metro Manila, including the rail systems, will continue but social distancing guidelines should be followed.
Nograles reiterated that international flights are not covered by the travel suspension as measures and protocols are strictly in place in the country’s airports and ports. Moreover, strict travel restrictions will still be imposed on those travelling from countries with localized cases of COVID-19 infection.
Anyone coming in through Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay will have stay in Metro Manila until the domestic travel ban is lifted. Nograles advised travelers whose ultimate destinations are outside Metro Manila to use other gateways in the country instead.
Local government units (LGU) outside Metro Manila were advised to follow the following guidelines in imposing localized community quarantine in their respective jurisdictions:
• A barangay-wide quarantine when there are at least two COVID-19 cases belonging to different households in the same barangay
• A municpality/city-wide quarantine when there are at least two COVID-19 cases belonging to different barangays in the same municipality/city
• A province-wide quarantine when there are at least two COVID-19 cases belonging to different municipalities, component cities or independent component cities in the same province.
Classes in Metro Manila will remain suspended until April 12.
Work in the Executive Department will be suspended for a month from March 12.
The President also banned mass gatherings or “planned or spontaneous event where the number of people attending could strain the planning and response resources of the community hosting the event.”
The World Health Organization now considers COVID-19 a pandemic, which has infected more than 125,000 people and killed 4,600 across 115 countries.
As of March 12, five people in the Philippines have died from COVID-19. – Roumina Pablo
Screegrab from RTV Malacanang’s video post
