Travelers outside 'NCR Plus' allowed to enter bubble for int'l flights, DOTr clarifies

Travelers outside "NCR Plus" with international flights from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will be allowed to enter the bubble, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) clarified on Monday.

In a virtual briefing, Transportation Undersecretary Artemio "Ochie" Tuazon said those in areas outside Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan will be allowed to enter the bubble if they have outgoing international flights amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

"If they have outgoing flights, they will be allowed to travel under the guidelines. They will be allowed to enter [NCR Plus] to take the flight out of NCR or NAIA for that matter," he said in a mix of English and Filipino during the Laging Handa public briefing.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) over the weekend announced restrictions on public transportation during the week-long ECQ in the Greater Manila Area.

The protocols do not set provide additional limits to the aviation sector, which is now operating at only 30% of the capacity prior to the reimposition of the ECQ. However, international inbound passengers at NAIA are capped at 1,500 passengers per day.

Metro Manila and the four nearby provinces -- collectively tagged as NCR Plus -- are under ECQ from March 29 to April 4, 2021.

Prior to the announcement of ECQ, the government banned non-essential entry and exit into the NCR Plus bubble during the same period. —KBK, GMA News