Gov’t may allow one person per household to buy food, essentials amid NCR ECQ —NTF spox

While the guidelines for the upcoming two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila have yet to be released, only one person per household may be allowed to go out to buy food and other essentials.

“Simula ng ECQ, maaaring isa lang ang hahayaang lumabas para makakuha ng pangangailangan sa kanilang mga bahay (At the start of ECQ, maybe one person will be allowed to leave their homes to buy essentials),” National Task Force against COVID-19 spokesperson Restituto Padilla Jr. said during state-run PTV’s Laging Handa briefing on Saturday.

“Ang ating hinahangad na limitahan muna ang paggalaw ng ating mga kababayan nang sa ganon ang transmission ng bagong mutation ng COVID-19 ay mapigil (What we aim to do is to limit the movement of people so that we can arrest the transmission of the new COVID-19 variant),” Padilla said.

The government placed the National Capital Region (NCR) under general community quarantine "subject to heightened and additional restrictions” from July 30 to August 5, to be followed by enhanced ECQ from August 6 to 20 to mitigate the threat of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant.

The NTF spokesperson said the guidelines regarding cash aid, public transportation, and mobility of people during the two-week lockdown period will be released before the NCR transitions to ECQ.

Under ECQ only essential trips and services are allowed, while GCQ with heightened restrictions and additional restrictions protocol bans indoor and al fresco dining.

The decision to reimpose the strictest quarantine mode was reached after the Metro Manila Council, which is composed of Metro Manila mayors, met with the government inter-agency COVID-19 task force to appeal for the imposition of stricter measures in the region. -MDM, GMA News