The Philippines banned cross-border travel and all mass gatherings in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, as the country sees a COVID-19 surge, especially in the capital region.
These guidelines take effect from March 22 to April 4, unless lifted or extended by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte approved these new restrictions as recommended by the government’s coronavirus task force, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Sunday, March 21.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) made these proposals in Resolution No. 104 dated Saturday, March 20, but released to the public on Sunday.
In approving IATF Resolution No. 104, Duterte placed Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal under general community quarantine (GCQ), the second to the lowest quarantine classification by the Philippine government.
Additional guidelines:
The resolution also gave the following additional guidelines:
- Limit of movement to essential travel
- Weddings, baptisms, funerals are limited to 10 persons
- 30% to 50% operational capacity for essential and non-essential sectors
- Dine-in restaurants, cafes, and establishments shall be limited to delivery, take-out, and any outdoor or distanced al fresco dining
- A common curfew from 10 pm to 5 am, except for workers, cargo vehicles, and public transportation
- People aged below 18 and above 65, pregnant women, those with comorbidities, and people living with these at-risk individuals are banned from leaving their homes unless for procuring essentials
The announcement came after the country reported 7,757 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday – the third straight day that new reported cases shot up above 7,000. The country has confirmed 663,794 coronavirus cases as of Sunday.
Will the gaming sector be affected?
As of now, there is still no update if casinos will be affected. However, Poker rooms and houses have been strict in enforcing health protocols.
It seems the government is hesitant to place another lockdown as it could ruin a recovering economy. At the same time, the numbers of people affected with covid are going up.
Stay tuned for updates.
Will online poker gain grounds?
Addressing the elephant in the room, Online cockfighting became popular and was able to steal a huge market.
One local grinder even vocally expressed that.
Online sabong has destroyed a lot of local poker players bankroll
We can not deny that this may be true. but at the same time. We have to address the other elephant in the room.
Are online poker sites taking any steps?
One of the most popular poker app that hit waves in the ph market is slowly losing grounds. Lower guarantees and complaints of bot-infested games are the most common complaint.
Another popular poker app just recently held a successful event however due to one of the biggest local unions owned by a foreigner whose reputation is not so clean. A lot of the Filipino players chose not to join the event in fear of not being able to cash out.
Other poke sites have regional restrictions.
However, this could be a good opportunity for sites and apps to make a move.
A big opportunity to be more creative.
Gone are the days where you can simply make a big guarantee and low buy-in to attract players. The market is very different now.
New markets must be established and producing more and creative ways to attract the market. Slow and steady growth can be achieved during this opportunity.
However. which site will take that advantage.
