Thread by @cnnphilippines

BREAKING: Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal will be placed under enhanced community quarantine from March 29 to April 4, Palace announces.

Read the story: bit.ly/3csTbUk

BREAKING: Movement in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, also known as NCR Plus, will be limited further as these will revert to the strictest enhanced community quarantine due to the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases, Palace announces. bit.ly/31qj294

Roque: Dahil nga po dito sa mga bagong variants, biglang tumaas ang numero ng nahawa ng COVID-19 at naging kritikal ang kapasidad ng mga ospital lalo na sa Metro Manila

LOOK: Roque shows guidelines under ECQ.

"Sa madaling salita, homeliners tayo uli. Sa bahay po muna tayo, unless tayo ay APOR, or kukuha ng necessities."

Roque on case detection efforts: Magbabahay-bahay tayo para hanapin ang mga taong may sintomas

Roque says there will be provision of food and essential services and heightened presence of uniformed personnel

Roque says public tranpsortation will be allowed to operate but limited capacity, that will be determined by the Dept. of Transportation

Roque says no travel pass is needed. Exempted workers will only need to show their IDs

Roque says only large-scale construction projects can continue in ECQ areas: Yung malakihan na pampubliko at pribado kasi pwedeng magbigay ng onsite na tulugan

Roque on panic buying amid shift to ECQ: Wag na kayong magpanic. Hindi naman ito ang unang karanasan natin sa ECQ. Sa ECQ, bukas ang palengke, groceries.

Roque says implementation of simultaneous vaccination will be done with the assistance of uniformed personnel, private sector and national government agencies

Roque says the government will provide cash aid to areas under ECQ, but says gudelines are still being finalized. "Magkakaroon po tayo ng tulong na ibibigay, isinasapinal na po ang pagbibigay ng assistance."

Roque on one-week ECQ in the NCR Plus bubble: Kailangan nating bigyan ng one-week timeout ang medical frontliners. Inaasahan natin na bababa ang kaso

Roque says dine-in services in restaurants will no longer be allowed, including outdoor dine-in

Roque: Sapat-sapat po ang ating supply ng pagkain, hindi magsasara ang palengke, supermarket, at convenience stores

Roque says hospitals, emergency frontline services and manufacturers of medical supplies as well as agriculture and delivery services will be allowed to work at full operational capacity

Private establishments (essential goods and services), media and workers accredited by the DOTr will be allowed to work at 50% operational capacity

Other establishments such as drug stores, dental and vet clinics, banks, telcos, construction, funeral services, among others will only be allowed to have a skeletal workforce operating

Will quarantine passes be required in ECQ areas?

Roque: Ang problema po kasi, isang linggo lang ang ating ECQ. Hindi ko alam kung sapat ang panahon para mag-issue ng quarantine passes

Roque says those who still have quarantine passes from the previous ECQ period should bring them, others can just explain to authorities why they need to go out

Roque on cash aid: Hindi matatapos ang buwan ng Abril ay makakarating ang tulong ng gobyerno sa mga nangangailangan

Roque on cash aid: Siguro ang halaga ay mas maliit sa inaasahan pero ang makakatanggap ay mas marami po

On contact tracing, Roque says the country still has around 15,000 contact tracers that will still be augmented.

Roque reiterates that all religious activities are prohibited during the implementation of ECQ.

Roque reiterates that the ECQ rules will take effect 12:01 a.m. of Monday, March 29

Roque says more military personnel will be deployed during the implementation of strict community quarantine.

Roque on Holy Week activities in NCR Plus bubble: Wala na pong religious gatherings

Roque on why they decided to implement ECQ: We are always data driven. Ang criteria natin for escalation is healthcare utilization rate at lumalabas po na it ay umabot po sa critical.

Roque says the ECQ will also allow the DPWH to build more treatment and monitoring facilities

Roque: Kaya tayo nagsara to make sure na ang kaso ay mapabagal, at hindi ma-overwhelm ang mga ospital at medical frontliners. It also gives us the opportunity to build even more (facilities).

Will flights be affected by the ECQ?

Roque: Hahayaan na lang ang DOTr gumawa ng guidelines

Roque: The numbers, the daily average rates and two-week average rates have exceeded 200%. So halos lahat po ng lugar sa Metro Manila ay either nasa red zone or critical level

Roque advises hospitals that have reached full capacity to contact the One Hospital Command Center which will refer patients to facilities with available spaces

Roque: Malalaman natin ang resulta nito sa susunod na two weeks matapos ng Easter Sunday.

Roque says Education Secretary Leonor Briones already agreed to use some schools as additional treatment and monitoring facilities.

Roque says the ECQ will not slow down economic recovery since they timed it with Holy Week wherein people are not expected to work in the first place

Why only one week of ECQ?

Roque: Nagkaroon na tayo ng additional restrictions (NCR Plus bubble) sa isang linggo so kukumpletuhin na lang ng isa pang linggo with ECQ

Roque says the gov't expects to reduce the number of cases by more than 25% with the ECQ imposition

Roque: Until pumasok 'yung bagong variant, nagtagumpay naman tayo eh

Roque says all vaccines that will arrive will be used for the simultaneous vaccination efforts. He adds that additional AstraZeneca will arrive early April if not within the month

Roque says simultaneous vaccination will start as early as tomorrow

Roque on simultaneous vaccination: Bibigyan sila ng notice para pumunta (sa vaccination sites). Susubukan na hindi magkumpulan ang mga tao.

Roque: Movement is now definitely hampered. It is not absolute. Kung necessity, kung allowed na employment at kung APOR, but movement is generally limited.

Roque on lacking manpower in hospitals: Nagkakaroon tayo ng augmentation sa manpower. Nagreport si Usec. Leopoldo Vega, ating treatment czar, hindi naman po tayo nawawalan ng manpower. Babayaran sila

Roque says he will clarify on Monday if food delivery services can continue to operate for 24 hours

Roque says targeted lockdowns were not a failure: Kaya lang, nais natin to take drastic measures dahil drastic ang pagtaas ng kaso

Roque: Drastic threat warrants a drastic response.

Roque says President Duterte will celebrate his birthday on Sunday in Davao.

Roque says they applied for an exemption from the national task force to be able to hold a public gathering so the President can personally welcome the arrival of Sinovac vaccines on Monday

Roque: We encourage all hospitals at later on ang ating mga LGUs, dahil sila na magbabakuna sa seniors and with comorbidities, na magkaroon na ng substitution list.

Roque says Duterte will celebrate his birthday in Davao on Sunday and immediately return to Manila on Monday for the arrival of the Sinovac vaccines

Roque says Duterte will celebrate his birthday in Davao on Sunday and immediately return to Manila on Monday for the arrival of the Sinovac vaccines

Roque says sectors allowed to operate in ECQ areas should provide transportation services for their workers

Roque: Kung mayroon pang quarantine pass, gamitin. Pero kung nawawala, explanation na lag po na talagang necessity ang labas ng bahay.

Roque says he will still clarify with the Tourism Dept. if staycation hotels will be allowed to operate

Roque says the house-to-house testing efforts will not violate any rights: 'Yung may sintomas susubukan itest at i-isolate kung positibo. Walang violation of human rights because this is part and parcel of quarantine.

Roque: Since babawasan ang transportation, kailangan magprovide ng shuttle ang mga industriya na papayagan natin.

Roque on entry of provincial buses in Metro Manila: Chances are pagbabawalan rin po iyan for the time being pero let us wait for DOTR.