Metro Manila workers who are residing in the provinces will be exempted from the 30-day partial lockdown in the metropolis, Cabinet officials said.
Media personnel and those who are seeking medical treatment in Metro Manila will be exempted from the travel restrictions, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.
Año said workers residing in the nearby provinces and are employed in Metro Manila would be allowed to re-enter the metropolis if they show their IDs or proof of employment indicating that their workplaces are in Metro Manila.
He conceded that the reason the government is not placing Metro Manila on total lockdown is partly in consideration of province-based laborers who commute to Metro Manila every day.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said they are likewise asking employers to encourage their employees to find a place in Metro Manila.
“Sa ganitong paraan din malilimatahan ang pasok, labas ng mga tao,” Lopez explained.
To implement this restriction, soldiers and policemen will be deployed at checkpoints in and out of Metro Manila.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) will review the travel restrictions daily and might either shorten or prolong it further beyond April 12.
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