TRADE Secretary Ramon Lopez said low risk, high impact industries will be allowed to operate, on a phased-in basis, in the national capital region, Laguna and Cebu City, areas placed under modified enhanced community quarantine between May 16 and 31.
Lopez said impact on jobs and low risk to infection are among the criteria adopted by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in allowing the reopening of business in Metro Manila, considered the Philippines’ center of business, and other areas placed under modified EQ.
Among the industries are additional construction activities, labor-intensive manufacturing and services.
However, these will only be allowed up to 50 percent of their workforce capacity.
This also means more manufacturers producing food and other essentials as well as exporters and business process outsourcing can increase their capacities under a modified ECQ. These are allowed to operate under the existing ECQs but whose capacities are constrained due to logistics issues.
Under modified ECQ, there will be limited availability of transportation.
“(Opening up of industries) will be done in phases while in modified ECQ. as they transition to GCQ (general community quarantine,” said Lopez
Lopez said industries which are allowed to operate for delivery at present, such as hardwares, will be allowed to gradually open in the transition.
These include retail such as hardware stores, which due to the nature of their operations and the number of their outlets, are allowed to operate only for delivery in areas under ECQ
