On March 15, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte placed Metro Manila in a month-long community quarantine to contain the pandemic COVID-19. It means entry and exit to and from Metro Manila will be regulated and limited by the heightened presence of police and military in checkpoints.
On the second day of its implementation at around 10 am, I went out to document the streets of Manila, mostly Divisoria and Quiapo, and here’s what I saw:
- Many establishments in Divisoria are still open, although lesser than usual. The working class continue working.
- Social distancing is observed in LRT if it’s not rush hour.
- It seems that the poor has no choice but to expose themselves out because they have to keep working to feed their families.
- Military personnel are present in Divisoria and Tayuman cor. Abad Santos, although these places are not entry and exit points.
