Commuting During General Community Quarantine Running At Half Capacity

Assuming the NCR (National Capital Region) gets upgraded from enhanced to general community quarantine (GCQ), what would our day-to-day look like, especially for the 21 million-plus people living here and the close to four million who commute into the metro for work every day?

- Eric Tipan

First the good news. There will hardly be traffic. Why? Not all industries will resume operations at 100% capacity. Even if they do, the GCQ stipulates that only 50% should be working on-site, while the other half should telecommute. Physical distancing will be of utmost importance in any scenario.

Only selected age groups will be allowed to go out. Ages 1-20 and 60-years old and above, including high-risk individuals, are prohibited from leaving their homes. This appears to be a very broad stroke of the rule so expect some exemptions.

Malls will be open but for specific goods and services only. Supermarkets will continue normal operations, restaurants will exclusively cater to take-out and delivery orders, and certain retails shops will open for people’s basic necessities (clothes, hardware). To discourage loitering, the mall AC’s will run on low power.

While you can finally get a haircut, gyms and movie houses will remain closed and mass gatherings of any kind, including parties, are banned.