Longer curfew hours in NCR to start on Friday

The National Capital Region (NCR) will have longer curfew hours starting Friday, August 6. The Metro Manila Council (MMC) announced that the curfew hours will be from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. as the NCR will effectively be placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to August 20, 2021.   

Curfew hours in Metro Manila will be from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.

The longer curfew hours were approved unanimously by the 17 Metro Manila mayors to help curb the rising number of COVID-19 Delta variant cases in NCR. MMDA Resolution No. 21-16 stated that imposing longer curfew hours is necessary to regulate the mobility and movement of individuals.   

The MMC clarified that individuals who are scheduled to be vaccinated during the ECQ period will be exempted from the curfew hours. The said individuals need to provide appropriate documentation to authorities to avoid confusion. The announcement released by the MMDA also states that individuals should have their quarantine passes that were issued during the previous ECQ.  

Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR) are permitted to move freely

Aside from those who will be inoculated, Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR) are permitted to move freely during ECQ, which is the strictest quarantine classification. 

Here are the individuals classified as APOR:

1. Health and emergency frontline services
2. Uniformed personnel
3. Government officials and employees of official travel
4. Authorized relief and humanitarian assistance groups
5. People traveling to and from the airport
6. People traveling for medical or humanitarian purposes
7. Employees working in industries permitted to operate
8. Public utility vehicle operators

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) previously said that APORs should present valid IDs issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). Individuals can also show official documents proving he/she is part of APOR. Unauthorized persons will not be allowed to cross borders and will be asked to return to their homes. 

Checkpoints will be placed around Metro Manila

The DILG has also ordered the PNP to allow the free movement of cargo or delivery vehicles across all checkpoints, especially those transporting food items.

Checkpoints are now being fully implemented at the borders of NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite) as well as in other places around Metro Manila. DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said that the checkpoints are manned by the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, a team composed of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fire Protection. The said task force will implement the checkpoints along the borders of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite. 

On the other hand, there will also be a liquor ban at the cities of Valenzuela, Mandaluyong, Parañaque, Pasay, Navotas, Pateros, Quezon City, and San Juan during ECQ.   

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