Travel restrictions eased by IATF between GCQ and MGCQ areas

On Friday, Malacañang said that the government’s COVID-19 task force has allowed travel between general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ areas – including those who are not in the list of authorized persons outside of residence (APOR).

The inter-zonal movement of persons not authorized outside of residences (non-APOR) between areas placed under general community quarantine or modified general community quarantine for any purpose shall be permitted, subject to the reasonable regulations imposed by the LGU concerned, or in the case of Boracay Island, subject to those imposed by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force,

presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Photo credit: mb.com.ph

The age restriction for individuals authorized to leave their residences was also eased by the government. Persons from 15 to 65 years of age are now allowed to go out. Local government units (LGUs) may impose a higher age limit for minors, depending on the COVID-19 situation in their respective jurisdictions.

The IATF also allowed the intrazonal movement of non-APOR across areas placed under GCQ or MGCQ and the interzonal movement of non-APOR between areas placed under MGCQ and the new normal.

Those considered APOR are:

• health and emergency frontline services personnel
• government officials and 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

The IATF likewise updated their list of APOR, which now includes:

• returning or repatriated overseas Filipino workers and overseas Filipinos returning to their places of residence
• other persons transported through the efforts of the national government upon observance of the necessary quarantine protocols with the concurrence of the receiving LGUs.

The IATF also encouraged LGUs to exclude workers, APORs, and necessary establishments from curfew restrictions.

Furthermore, it urged LGUs to standardize curfew rules and relax curfew hours as part of the gradual reopening of the economy.