MANILA, Philippines — The trade department has urged food and medical supply manufacturers whose stocks are good for one month to temporarily stop their operations to minimize the number of people going out of their homes while Luzon is under enhanced community quarantine.

While food and medical supplies producers are exempted from the home quarantine, those who have finished goods that are good for one or two months can implement a manufacturing "holiday" so their workers can remain in their homes.

"While you are allowed to operate, we are making an appeal to those with huge inventories...To reduce the number of people plying roads and employees reporting for work, actually we will encourage you to stop operations and let your present inventory supply the requirements of supermarkets," Lopez said at a press briefing in Malacañang Wednesday night.

"You can contribute a lot to the reduction of population going out of their homes. Ideally, stay at home. For those with one month, two months inventory of finished goods, I suggest you go on holiday," he added.

Lopez said the quarantine protocols are being implemented so that the COVID-19 would be contained by the time the quarantine period is over. The Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine started last March 17 and will end on April 13.



"If we do not have important activities to do, let us not insist on going out (of our homes)," he said.

Lopez said the government is also undertaking measures to ensure the unhampered movement of essential supplies including the random checking of cargoes.

"That means, not all cargoes will be checked...We are getting feedback that the movement is faster compared to yesterday (March 17)," the trade chief said.

Lopez said the government would also issue IDs to private entities exempted from the home quarantine.

"We will be issuing IDs, I think in three days or four days. So, we are getting right now the list of skeletal force of each company that are allowed to continue...In the meantime, they have to bring their corporate ID," he said.