MANILA- The government’s inter-agency task force released late Tuesday night additional guidelines and modifications on the rules governing the “enhanced community quarantine” in Luzon.

The following additional guidelines were approved by President Rodrigo Duterte according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles:

1. All government agencies in the executive branch are hereby directed to issue accreditation orders to identify their respective skeletal workforces for critical services operating during the duration of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon. Bonafide IDs issued by the respective agencies shall be sufficient for movement around the contained area until such time that such accreditation orders have been issued by the agency concerned. Skeletal workforces may use official agency vehicles;

2. Agencies with jurisdiction over those exempted from the strict home quarantine requirement are likewise tasked to issue official Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) accreditation IDs. The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) shall be tasked to design the official seal and template of IATF accreditation IDs issued by government. The period for the issuance of IATF accreditation IDs shall be until March 21, 2020. Bonafide IDs issued by establishments exempted from the strict home quarantine requirements shall be honored by law enforcement agencies until March 21, 2020;

3. The following, among others, shall be considered health and emergency frontline workers:

a. Public health workers (all employees of the Department of Health, DOH Hospitals, Hospitals of Local Government Units, and Provincial, City, and Rural Health Units);

b. Private health workers, such as but not limited to medical professionals, hospital administrative staff and aides from private health facilities, as well as their service providers; and

c. Health workers and volunteers of the Philippine Red Cross and the World Health Organization.

The Department of Transportation, in cooperation with Local Government Units, and upon consultation with the Department of Health, shall develop a system of point-to-point transport services for all the aforementioned health workers;

4. The Philippine National Police is instructed to allow the unimpeded movement of all types of cargoes, subject to its authority to conduct inspection procedures in checkpoints for the purpose of ensuring that protocols on strict home quarantine are observed. For this purpose, Memorandum Circular No. 07, issued on March 17, 2020 by the Department of Agriculture is hereby adopted;

5. Capital markets, including but not limited to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Securities and Exchange Commission, Philippine Stock Exchange, Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corporation, Philippine Securities Settlement Corporation, and Philippine Depository and Trust Corporation, shall be allowed to operate effective March 18, 2020, subject to the qualification of establishing skeletal workforces in their respective establishments;

6. The Department of Labor and Employment is hereby authorized to accredit a skeletal staff for the purpose of facilitating the conduct of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program;

7. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration shall provide transportation services for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), for the purpose of ferrying them from international ports to their respective destinations in Luzon;

8. A separate IATF Technical Working Group composed of the Department of Social Welfare and Development acting as Chair, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Office of the President is hereby directed to meet for the purpose of operationalizing the social amelioration program of government.

9. The provisional period of seventy-two (72) hours granted to media personnel to continue operating in Luzon is hereby extended until March 21, 2020. Thereafter, only those who bear the IATF accreditation ID as issued by the PCOO may be exempted from the strict home quarantine requirement;

10. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) establishments, and export-oriented businesses are hereby granted a period of twenty-four (24) hours from the issuance of this Resolution to facilitate their work from home arrangements; and

11. Delivery services, whether in-house or outsourced, transporting food, medicine, or other basic necessities shall be allowed to operate during the period of Enhanced Community Quarantine.

The following amendments and modifications to the existing guidelines were also approved by the President:

1. OFWs, balikbayans, and foreign nationals leaving for abroad through any of the ports in Luzon shall be allowed to leave the Philippines at any time for the duration of the Enhanced Community Quarantine. Provided, that proof of international travel itinerary scheduled within twenty-four (24) hours must be presented.

Provided, further, that non-essential travel by Filipinos from any port of Luzon shall be suspended. Provided, further, that this provision shall not be interpreted to allow outbound travel by Filipinos to jurisdictions where travel restrictions are in place.

Provided, further, that departing passengers may only be accompanied by not more than one (1) person when traveling to any international port.

Provided, further, that OWWA may provide transportation services to OFWs intending to leave for abroad.

Provided, finally, that all of the foregoing shall be subject to joint guidelines to be issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Tourism

2. Heads of mission or their designated foreign mission representatives, including limited foreign mission personnel and staff may be exempted from the strict home quarantine requirement whenever performing diplomatic functions, subject to guidelines to be issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Provided, that protocols on the establishment of skeletal workforces shall be observed

3. No hotels or similar establishments shall be allowed to operate, except those accommodating:

a. Guests who have existing booking accommodations for foreigners as of March 17, 2020;

b. Guests who have existing long-term leases; and

c. Employees from exempted establishments under the provisions of the March 16, 2020 Memorandum from the Executive Secretary, and subsequent modifications and clarifications.

Provided, that in subparagraphs (3)(a) and (3)(b), no new booking accommodations shall be permitted. Provided, further, that in all of the foregoing, hotel operations shall be limited to the provision of basic lodging to guests; and

4. Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators shall not be included among those establishments allowed to operate for the duration of the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

C. The Metro Manila Development Authority and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process shall be considered ex officio members of the IATF. A recommendation to the Office of the President is hereby submitted for the purpose of including said agencies to the expanded membership of the IATF;

D. The Response Clusters of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for COVID-19 at the national, regional, and local levels shall be convened. All councils are directed to implement preventive, preparatory, responsive, and early recovery measures in anticipation of the worst-case scenario insofar as the COVID-19 health event is concerned. The Rehabilitation and Recovery Cluster of the NDRRMC is likewise directed to develop a resiliency and recovery plan; and

E. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Philippines shall establish and operate an Emergency Operations Center at the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council Operations Center, at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

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