This list is from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as contained in its Memorandum Circular No. 20-22 dated 5 May 2020, on “Business Establishments or Activities Allowed to Operate in Areas included under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and General Community Quarantine (GCQ) pursuant to the Revised Omnibus Guidelines on Community Quarantine as Confirmed and Adopted by the President under Executive Order No. 112, s. 2020”. [Update: Revised per Memorandum Circular No. 20-33.] The guidelines apply nationwide. No presumption shall arise as to the exclusivity or inclusivity of the enumeration, which may be updated as the need arises. [See also Updated Community Quarantine Classifications]
Added: During the press briefing on 13 May 2020, the Modified ECQ (MECQ) was added. The classifications used to be simple: full capacity for Category I; 50%-full capacity for Category II; 50% capacity for Category III; closed for Category IV. This simplicity is gone after the 13 May 2020 press briefing. Further changes were introduced under IATF Resolution No. 38 dated 22 May 2020 and Resolution No. 41 dated 29 May 2020. For convenience, the designations are: (a) NO for “Not Allowed to Operate”; (b) OK for “Allowed to Operate at Full Capacity”; (c) 50% for “50% maximum on-site personnel” or “partially allowed”, as the case may be; and (d) SKL for “Skeleton Workforce”.
[Update (9 June 2020): The revised DETAILED LIST of Category I-IV is contained in a separate post.]
CATEGORY I INDUSTRIES
| SECTORS | ECQ | MECQ | GCQ | MGCQ |
| 1. Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and their workers, including farmers, Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs), fisherfolk, and agri-fisheries stores, and such other components of the food value chain | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| 2. Manufacturing of essential goods * Food and beverages (only non-alcoholic drinks) * Hygiene (e.g., soap, detergent, shampoo, and conditioners; diapers, feminine hygiene products, toilet papers, wet wipes; disinfectants) * Medicines and vitamins * Medical products (e.g., masks) * Pet food, fees and fertilizers | 50% | OK | OK | OK |
| 3. Hospitals, medical clinics, and health clinics, such as dialysis and chemotherapy centers, subject to strict health standards and strict observance of infection prevention and control protocols. | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| * Other medical, dental, rehabilitation, and optometry clinics; dermatological and other clinics for non-aesthetic such as dental, optometric, and eye, ear, nose, throat (EENT); pharmacies or drug stores: Provided, there is strict observance of infection prevention and control protocols; Provided, further, that dental procedures shall be limited to emergency cases only and that the wearing of full Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) by dentists and attendants shall be mandatory. Provided finally that home therapy services for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) shall be allowed | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 4. Essential retail (groceries, supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, public markets) | 50% | OK | OK | OK |
| 5. Laundry shops (including self-service) | 50% | OK | OK | OK |
| 6. Food preparation and water refilling: take-out and delivery only | 50% | OK | OK | OK |
| 7. Logistics service providers (cargo handling, warehousing, trucking, freight forwarding, and shipping line) | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| 8. Delivery services, whether in-house or outsourced, transporting food, medicine, other essential goods such as hygiene products and medical supplies, clothing, accessories, hardware, housewares (such as appliances), school and office supplies, including computer accessories, ink, IT, communications, and electronic equipment, pet food, and other veterinary products | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| 9. Utilities: power, energy, water collection/supply and sanitation, waste management, sewerage (except septic tank emptying, but including pest control, garbage collection, etc.), as well as property management and building utility services | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 10. Repair and installation of machinery and equipment | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| 11. Telecommunications companies, internet service providers, cable television providers, including those who perform indirect services such as the technical, sales, and other support personnel, as well as the employees of their third-party contractors doing sales, installation, maintenance and repair works | SLK | OK | OK | OK |
| 12. Energy companies, their third-party contractors and service providers, including employees involved in electric transmission and distribution companies, electric power plant and line maintenance, electricity market and retail suppliers, as well as those involved in the exploration, operations, trading and delivery of coal, oil, crude or petroleum and by-products (gasoline, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas, jet oil, kerosene, lubricants), including refineries and depots or any kind of fuel used to produce electricity | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 13. Gas stations | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| 14. Construction workers accredited by the DPWH to work on facilities identified for purposes of quarantine and isolation, including such facilities for the health sector, emergency works, flood control, and other disaster risk reduction and rehabilitation works | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 15. Workers accredited by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to work on utility relocation works, and specified limited works across thirteen (13) railway projects, including replacement works for the Metro Manila Rail Transit System Line 3. Provided, that where applicable, on-site or near-site accommodations and/or point-to-point shuttle services should be arranged | 50% | OK | OK | OK |
| 16. Manufacturing companies and suppliers of equipment or products necessary to perform construction works, such as cement and steel | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 17. Media establishments and their total permanent staff complement, as registered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and accredited by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) | 50% | OK | OK | OK |
| * Media establishments without need of PCCO accreditation | OK | OK | OK | |
| 18. Airline and aircraft maintenance, pilots and crew, and and employees of aviation schools for purposes of the pilot’s recurrent training proficiency and type rating using simulator facilities; and ship captains and crew, including shipyard operations and repair | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 19. Humanitarian assistance personnel from civil society organizations (CSOs), non-government organizations (NGOs), and United Nations-Humanitarian Country Teams, as well as individuals performing relief operations to augment the government’s response against COVID-19 and other disasters or calamities that may occur. Provided, that they are authorized by the appropriate government agency or LGU | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
Movement of all types of cargoes by land, air or sea within and across areas placed under ECQ or GCQ hall be unhampered. Workers in the logistics sector, such as cargo, trucking, and port operations shall likewise be allowed to transit across areas under ECQ or GCQ. The movement of workers in establishments under Categories I to III are allowed, subject to the operational capacity limits set by the IATF and presentation in quarantine control points of company ID OR certificate of employment OR any identification requirement that the IATF may issue. IATF ID or Rapid Pass shall NOT be required.
CATEGORY II INDUSTRIES
| SECTORS | ECQ | MECQ | GCQ | MGCQ |
| 1. Other manufacturing activities: * Beverages (e.g., alcoholic drinks) * Electrical machinery * Wood products, furniture * Non-metallic products * Textiles / wearing apparels * Tobacco products * Paper and paper products * Rubber and plastic products * Coke and refined petroleum products * Other non-metallic mineral products * Computer, electronic and optical products * Electrical equipment * Machinery and equipment * Motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers * Other transport equipment * Others | NO | 50% | OK | OK |
| 2. Mining and quarrying | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| 3. Electronic and e-commerce companies | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| 4. The Philippine Postal Corporation | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| * Other postal, courier services, as well as delivery services for articles or products not allowed during ECQ | NO | OK | OK | OK |
| 5. The Philippine Statistics Authority, at a capacity necessary to conduct data gathering and survey activities related to COVID-19 and the registration and implementation of the national identification (ID) system | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| 6. Export-oriented companies (For ECQ: on-site or near-site accommodation, or point-to-point shuttling arrangements. For MECQ: point-to-point shuttles) | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| * Export-oriented industries without need to set up onsite or near-site accommodation | NO | OK | OK | OK |
| 7. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): work-from-home, on-site or near site accommodation, or point-to-point shuttles | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| * BPOs without need to set up onsite or near-site accommodation | NO | OK | OK | OK |
| 8. Real estate activities limited to leasing only | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| * Other real estate activities | NO | 50% | OK | OK |
| 9. Public and private construction projects that are essential (i.e., sewerage, water services facilities, and digital works, and health facilities) and priority (i.e., food production, agriculture, energy, housing, communication, water utilities, manufacturing, BPO) | NO | 50% | OK | OK |
| 10. Companies engaged in repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment, including those engaged in the repair of computers and household fixtures and equipment | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 11. Housing service activities | NO | OK | OK | OK |
| 12. Office administrative and office support (e.g., photocopying and billing) | NO | 50% | OK | OK |
| 13. Special purpose accommodation for healthcare workers, OFWs, workers in permitted sectors, and non-OFWs with mandated quarantine | OK | OK | OK | OK |
| 14. Funeral and embalming services (Funeral parlors not allowed during ECQ and MECQ) | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 15. Pastors, priests, imams, or such religious ministers whose movement shall be related to the conduct of necrological or funeral rites | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| * Pastors, priests, rabbi, imams, and other religious ministers insofar as providing home religious services to households. Provided that proper protocols shall be observed such as social distancing, wearing of face masks and the like | NO | 50% | OK | OK |
| 16. Veterinary clinics | SKL | 50% | OK | OK |
| 17. Security and investigation activities | SKL | 50% | OK | OK |
| 18. Banks, money transfer services, microfinance institutions, pawnshops, and credit cooperatives (for ECQ, pawnshops not performing money transfers are not allowed) | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 19. Capital markets (e.g., BSP, SEC, PDEC, PDTC, etc.) | SKL | OK | OK | OK |
| 20. Other financial services (e.g., money exchange, insurance, reinsurance, and non-compulsory pension funding) | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 21. Legal and accounting | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 22. Management and consulting activities | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 23. Architecture and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 24. Scientific and technology, research and development | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
CATEGORY III INDUSTRIES
| SECTORS | ECQ | MECQ | GCQ | MGCQ |
| 1. Advertising and market research | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 2. Computer programming (e.g., writing code, designing computer systems) and information service activities (e.g., data processing) | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 3. Publishing and printing activities (e.g., newspapers, books, etc.; printing on textiles, glass, etc.) | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Printing presses authorized by the Bureau of Internal Revenue or other appropriate agencies to print official receipts and other accountable forms | SKL | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 4. Film, music and TV production | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 5. Rental and leasing activities, other than real estate (e.g., motor vehicles, equipment for permitted sectors) | NO | OK | OK | OK |
| 6. Employment activities (e.g., recruitment and placement for essential services) | NO | OK | OK | OK |
| * Recruitment and placement agencies for overseas employment | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 7. Other activities (e.g., photography, fashion, industrial, graphic, and interior design) | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 8. Wholesale and retail trade of motor vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles, including their parts and components | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 9. Repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles (including vulcanizing shops, battery repair shops, auto repair shops), including car wash services | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| 10. Malls and commercial centers (non-leisure only, in line with below) | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Dining/restaurants (No dine-in; delivery and take-out only; GCQ policy still undergoing review) | 50% | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Dine-in service in food retail establishments such as supermarkets, grocery stores, and food preparation establishments | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
| * Barbershops and salon (basic haircutting services only) | NO | NO | 30% | 50% |
| * Hardware stores | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Clothing and accessories | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Mall-based government frontline services | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Bookstores and school and office supplies stores | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Baby or infant care supplies stores | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Pet food and pet care supplies | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * IT, communications, and electronic equipment | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Flower, jewelry, novelty, antique, perfume shops | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Toy store (with playgrounds and amusement area closed) | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
| * Firearms and ammunition trading establishments, subject to strict regulation of Firearms and Explosives Office | NO | 50% | 50% | OK |
CATEGORY IV INDUSTRIES
| SECTORS | ECQ | MECQ | GCQ | MGCQ |
| 1. Gyms/fitness studios and sports facilities | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
| 2. Entertainment industries (e.g., cinemas, theaters, karaoke bars, etc.) | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
| 3. Kid amusement industries (e.g., playroom, rides) | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
| 4. Libraries, archives, museums and cultural centers | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
| 5. Tourist destinations (e.g., water parks, beaches, resorts) | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
| 6. Travel agencies, tour operators, reservation service and related activities | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
| 7. Personal care services (e.g., massage parlors, sauna, facial care, waxing, etc.) | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
| 8. Amusement and gaming | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
| 9. All other establishments | NO | NO | NO | 50% |
[See also IATF Omnibus Guidelines for Areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ); Guidelines for Interzonal Movement during the Community Quarantine]
Pamaos & Labao Law Firm (P&L Law) is a full-service professional legal firm, located in Metro Manila, Philippines | Telephone: (+632) 7799-0589 | Email: info@pnl-law.com | Website: http://pnl-law.com
Latest posts by P&L Law (see all)
- Extension of Filing Periods and Suspension of Hearings for March 29 to April 4, 2021: SC Administrative Circular No. 14-2021 (Full Text) - March 28, 2021
- ECQ Bubble for NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal: Resolution No. 106-A (Full Text) - March 27, 2021
- Guidelines on the Administration of COVID-19 Vaccines in the Workplaces (Labor Advisory No. 3) - March 12, 2021
Hi, my condo unit says that installers and repairmen falls under visitors category and are not allowed. I need to have aircon installed because of my asthma. Is this even in the guidelines? We stay at home, we use our appliances, what if they get broken? Arent repairs and installs essential too?
Hi Krie. Repairs are allowed under the general guidelines. However, condos might have other internal rules. Best to discuss this with your homeowners’ association. Good luck.
Good evening. Does Internet cafés fall under category IV? ( Under the all other establishments classification ). Sorry if i’ve asked this question because I need to send some copies of my documents thru email and I need to have them scanned.
Thank you very much.
Hi Phet. Yes. Only for educational or work purposes. See the revised list: https://pnl-law.com/blog/revised-detailed-list-of-category-i-to-iv-business-establishments-allowed-during-gcq-mgcq-ecq-mgcq/
Good afternoon Mam / Sir ( pnl-law.com ). Thank you very much for sendin’ the link to the revised list of sectors during this quarantine period. It’s comprehensive and helpful. Truly appreciated.
Hi Phet. Thanks for the kind words. We hope you checked the updated list: https://pnl-law.com/blog/revised-detailed-list-of-category-i-to-iv-business-establishments-allowed-during-gcq-mgcq-ecq-mgcq/