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Logistics service providers are still allowed to operate at 100% capacity, while cargo/delivery vehicles should be able to move unhampered in modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) areas
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The road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors of public transportation are allowed to operate at the capacity set by Department of Transportation
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The National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal—collectively known as NCR Plus—has been placed under MECQ from April 12 until April 30 after being under ECQ since March 28
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Travel in seaports and airports in areas under MECQ must still submit to protocols
Logistics service providers are still allowed to operate at 100% capacity, while cargo/delivery vehicles should still be allowed unhampered movement in areas under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
Within and across areas placed under any form of community quarantine, movement of all types of cargoes via land, air, and sea should remain unhampered. Likewise, workers in the logistics sector, such as those in cargo, trucking, courier delivery and port operations, should be allowed to transit within and across these areas, according to the omnibus guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
The road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors of public transportation are allowed to operate at the capacity set by Department of Transportation (DOTr).
The IATF has recently eased quarantine restrictions in the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal—collectively known as NCR Plus—to MECQ from April 12 until April 30, after these areas were placed under ECQ from March 28 to April 11.
Abra has been placed under MECQ and Quezon province under general community quarantine (GCQ) from April 12 to 30, 2021.
Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya (Region 2), Batangas (Region 4-A), Tacloban City (Region 8), Iligan City (Region 10), Davao City (Region 11), and Lanao del Sur (BARMM), and Quezon will be under GCQ.
The rest of the country remains under the less strict modified GCQ until the end of April.
Travel via seaports and airports in areas under MECQ will still be subjected to protocols.
Air travel guidance
In an advisory, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said international inbound passenger capacity at the Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will remain limited to a maximum of 1,500 passengers per day, subject to amendment as may be determined by the DOTr.
Airlines operating at NAIA that will exceed the allowed capacity will be penalized under Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2021-01, which provides the guidelines for imposing sanctions on air transport operators found violating COVID-19-related directives and protocols.
The JMC was signed on January 8, 2021 by CAB, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Manila International Airport Authority, and Clark International Airport Corp.
Domestic commercial operations, meanwhile, should comply with the requirements or restrictions on capacity and frequency of flights that may be imposed by local government units (LGU) outside of the NCR Plus bubble.
The IATF has also approved the extension of the temporary travel suspension to Region VI from NCR Plus, Cebu City and Davao City starting April 13 until 19 April 2021. The temporary restriction was previously imposed from April 4 to April 10.
Airlines are advised to communicate with the concerned LGUs having jurisdiction over the airports concerned to ensure proper coordination, specifically on the restrictions and requirements in place in the intended destination.
Under the IATF’s omnibus guidelines, for Authorized Persons Outside of their Residences (APORs), movement will only be allowed for essential purposes, namely:
- Health and emergency frontline services personnel
- Government officials and government frontline personnel
- Duly authorized humanitarian assistance actors
- Persons traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons
- Persons going to the airport for travel abroad
- Anyone crossing zones for work or business permitted in the zone of destination, and going back home
- Returning or repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and other overseas Filipinos returning to their places of residence
APORs who are travelling by air, including persons transporting them to and from the airport, will likewise be exempted from the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
Further, all airlines are required to observe the following:
- Strictly implement and adhere to the health and safety protocols/measures as established by the IATF, Department of Health, and as provided under the Omnibus Protocol/ Guidelines for Public Transport, which will be observed in all airport facilities and while on board the aircraft
- Provide immediate notification via all available means of communication of the status of flights for passengers with cancelled or postponed flights, and provide all necessary and relevant information
- Strictly adhere to the provisions of the Air Passenger Bill of Rights in case of flight cancellations. Airlines are further urged to offer not only to refund but also to rebook tickets that are unused as a result of the above-mentioned directive/memorandum, without penalty
For seaports, passenger terminal buildings should only operate at 50% capacity, according to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). Only individuals cleared to travel are allowed in PTBs and port facilities. Moreover, minimum public health standards, such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, and wearing of face mask and face shields, should be strictly implemented and enforced. – Roumina Pablo
