MANILA, Philippines — There will be no letup in the national police already intensified enforcement of quarantine protocols under the general community quarantine, and measures such as the quarantine control points are here to stay, the agency's spokesperson said in a statement.
This came after the government's coronavirus task force announced that it would be reverting Metro Manila and neighboring provinces Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan back to general community quarantine on Monday, after just 13 days of modified enhanced community quarantine.
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In a statement, Police Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson said: "These include the setting up of Quarantine Control Points to ensure that only authorized individuals on essential travel are allowed outside their homes and to enforce restrictions on certain modes of public conveyance."
"At the same time, the PNP will continue to observe official administrative issuances of higher authorities on matters involving force protection and COVID-19 resiliency of PNP Units and personnel," Banac also said, adding that the agency's operations will "remain guided by the fundamental guidelines of DILG and IATF."
At the onset of the modified enhanced community quarantine, the national police said it would mostly deploy personnel "in the boundaries of cities and provinces" to control the flow of people crossing. Just two days later, though, it announced it would also be sending more cops to public areas to "compel" compliance with quarantine rules.
Although the government's coronavirus task force said it has recalibrated its approach to addressing the pandemic, the use of heavy enforcement to intimidate would-be violators and address a medical issue has remained largely unchanged throughout the 13 days of MECQ.
As it stands, the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, the quarantine enforcement arm of the government, has deployed police officers in every barangay to serve as "quarantine rules supervisors." The PNP has also called on private security forces and barangay tanods to assist them in enforcement.
"We appeal to residents in affected communities to cooperate with local government and law enforcement authorities in enforcing quarantine rules and health protocols to further minimize transmission of the infection," the national police said.
Five months, or exactly 154 days into the government's community quarantine, the Philippines is still under the world's longest quarantine.
As of the latest update by health authorities on Monday, 164,474 cases have been recorded in the country since the new pathogen emerged in China in late December.