NCR APORs: Who Is Allowed in and Out of the ECQ Zone?

On August 6, 2021, the National Capital Region (NCR) will enter the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) once more, to halt the surge of the COVID-19 Delta variant. This heightened community lockdown will extend until August 20, 2021, after which Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and its fellow governing agencies will assess as to whether to continue lockdown or downgrade it to a more lax quarantine status.

Now Under GCQ, NCR Preps for Entry into ECQ

Last July 30, 2021, the IATF placed NCR and NCR Plus under various levels of General Community Quarantine (GCQ) and implemented a travel bubble in compliance with Resolution No. 130-A. The heightened restrictions were in preparation for the stricter two-week ECQ in NCR (starting on August 6). This travel bubble also establishes where the quarantine control points (QCPs) around NCR will be placed, the checkpoints within Metro Manila, and the eventual restriction of movement of the general population so that only the Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APORs) may move in and out of the quarantine zone.

According to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año, the QCPs have been tentatively placed at the borders of Bulacan (with Pampanga and Nueva Ecija), Rizal (with Quezon), Laguna (with Batangas and Quezon), and Cavite (with Batangas), until August 6. These will be manned by a combined force coming from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fire Protection. This force will also be manning checkpoints around Metro Manila that will be in place for general law enforcement, minimum health standards compliance, and the implementation of curfew hours.

APORs Need IDs to Move Around

For movement, the PNP will be allowing the free and unimpeded entry and movement of cargo and delivery vehicles across all checkpoints and QCPs, and in and out of the ECQ zone. Those as authorized persons outside residence (APORs) as defined in the IATF omnibus guidelines, may travel in and out of the ECQ zones, as well, depending on the limits of their approved movements.

These will cover both work and consumer APORs, including:

• Emergency and health frontline services
• Uniformed personnel
• Persons transporting medical supplies and lab material
• Authorized relief and humanitarian assistance
• Persons crossing the zones for work or business, in permitted industries
• Persons approved for the purchase of consumer goods, groceries, and the like
• Public utility vehicle drivers/operators
• Persons going to and from the airport, among others

These APORs are required to present any of the following to the authorities manning the QCPs and checkpoints:

• IATF identification cards (IDs) issued by regulatory agencies,
• Valid IDs or pertinent documentation issued by the office/business/or establishment permitted to operate under ECQ
• Any other proof of identification and/or documentation attesting to their purpose of travel.

DILG Secretary Año hopes that the public will be understanding that all these activities are aimed at stopping the spread of the Delta variant. As always, pandemic protection protocols should still be followed and everyone should continue to stay home and stay safe always.

Still Shopping for a Car? We Can Set Your Online Inspection

With these IATF preparations underway, Automart.Ph will also be restricting its own activities beginning August 6, at the start of the NCR ECQ. All physical on-site appointments will be minimized. Automart's online car and site inspections, however, will be up and running and clients may call or message their Automart Advisors to schedule their online appointments. To book your appointment, visit Automart.Ph on Facebook and send a message today.