DILG orders PNP, LGUs to strictly impose ban vs mass gatherings in ‘NCR Plus’

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) directed the Philippine National Police (PNP), local government units, and barangays to strictly enforce the ban against mass gatherings in areas included in the general community quarantine bubble.

In a statement on Monday, DILG officer-in-charge Undersecretary Bernardo C. Florece Jr. also ordered PNP to set up border checkpoints to prevent the travel of non-essential workers.

“Mass gatherings put the people, their families, and communities at risk of contracting the virus,” Florece said.

He also urged LGUs to deploy their marshalls, Barangay Disiplina Brigades, barangay tanods and others to ensure that residents will observe the restriction.

Florece encouraged the public to report mass gatherings in their area to Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams.

DILG also instructed the police, local government units, and barangays to monitor the compliance of the public and establishments with the new health protocols.

Around 10,000 police officers have been in Metro Manila to enforce the prohibition against mass gatherings, DILG said.

The police are also tasked to enforce the uniform curfew hours from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

On Sunday, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases endorsed the implementation of new regulations from March 22 until April 4 in National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna or “NCR Plus” amid the surge of COVID-19 cases.—AOL, GMA News