Heading out? Quarantine passes still needed in most Metro Manila areas

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 22) — The more relaxed general community quarantine means doing away with passes, but most local governments in Metro Manila are keeping the requirement to limit the movement of people outside their homes.

More than half of the country’s coronavirus disease cases are in the capital region even as it eased to GCQ as officials cited the need to reopen the economy. Local ordinances were announced to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Of the 17 local governments, ten require residents to present quarantine passes to enter markets, malls and other commercial establishments. These are:

- Caloocan

- Las Piñas

- Malabon

- Mandaluyong

- Navotas

- Parañaque

- Pasay

- Pateros

- Quezon City

- Valenzuela

Caloocan has a color-coded system to limit movement per day: orange passes for Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., and only until 1:30 pm on Sundays; green passes on the same time slot Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and 1:31 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays; while those with white passes can go to work anytime.

The cities of Manila, Makati, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Pasig, San Juan, and Taguig no longer require quarantine passes, except for residents in areas under localized lockdown.

Under the GCQ guidelines released by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the policy-making body on the COVID-19 response, people 21 years old and below and 60 and above should not go out, except for “indispensable” cases to obtain or provide essential goods and services.

Mass gatherings, including religious services, are limited to ten people. An 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew is also in place in the metropolis.

The Philippines is known for imposing the longest and most restrictive lockdown since the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine in March. Restrictions have been eased but the entire country remains under varying levels of community quarantine.

The country has the most coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia with over 182,000 cases.