Travel Authority Still Required to Cross Borders, Police Say

Those who need to cross local government borders and are not listed as Authorized Person Outside Residence or APOR will need to secure travel authority, contrary to reports circulating on social media, authorities said Wednesday.

A social card stating otherwise is misinformation, said Lt. Gen. Guillermo Elazar, head of Joint Task Force COVID Shield that oversees security forces' response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"It is now being used again to make it appear that it is a new declaration from the JTF Covid Shield, purposely to confuse the public and eventually discredit the efforts being made by the national government to contain the spread of the coronavirus," Eleazar said.

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Locally stranded individuals and emergency travelers are initially required to secure a medical clearance certificate from the city and municipal health office. It has to be submitted to the designated COVID-19 task force via the local police help desks.

The task force will then coordinate with the receiving local government units for the date of the travel, before releasing the travel authority with date and relevant details indicated. So-called APORs, on the other hand, only need to show identification at checkpoints.

Who are the APORs? They are those who are authorized to work during the quarantine period.