HOW DID COVID 19 AFFECT THE PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO TRAVEL AND LIBERTY TO ABODE?

The Coronavirus disease is an infectious disease that emanated from Wuhan, China during the later
part of 2019. It has spread from person to person and has affected a lot of people worldwide. Now a
Pandemic, the Philippines has recorded its first case on January 30, 2020 wherein a Chinese national
was confirmed positive and its first local transmission was confirmed

Acting on the first case, the Government through the Executive convened and organized the task
force IATF-EID (Inter- Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease) to address and respond
to affairs concerning the viral infectious disease. The said Task Force has become the policy-making
body of operations.

To safeguard the public from being infected, the Task Force mandated that the people should stay
home and be quarantined, thus preventing the people from travelling and socializing. Even
businesses and offices were inoperable.

The call for home quarantine was mandatory for all in order to prevent further transmission of the
virus since it is spread from person to person through the droplets of saliva, by sneezing and
coughing.

Complying with this regulation, people have to stay at home, irregardless of what kind of home we
have. With this directive, different reactions and comments were heard from the people. For those
who understood the seriousness of the problem, conformed and stayed home with nary a complaint;
for those who are daily wage earners, insisted in going out to earn something for their families; for
those who were used to while away the time outside their homes protested. But the most affected
with this quarantines is the business and tourism sector.

But the question on whether this mandate affected our rights to travel and liberty to abode, is a
debatable issue. Home quarantine prevented us from travelling or socializing. It curtailed our liberty
to abode or to choose to leave our homes whenever it pleases us, to travel whenever one desires
and to return to our own homes or place of residence. But this freedom has its corresponding
colatilla, which states that “except in the interest of national security, public safety and health”.

Be that as it may, how are we going to face the reality if and when our economy is at risk and many of
our countrymen could lose their jobs? The Economic managers predicted that it will take 10 months
to 1 year to be able to recover our economy. Businesses could shut down resulting to more and more
unemployment problems.

While many economic sectors are expected to recover once restrictive measures are lifted, the
pandemic will probably have a longer lasting effect on international tourism.
This is largely due to reduced consumer confidence and the likelihood of longer restrictions on the
international movement of people.

 The Tourism sector is currently one of the hardest-hit by the outbreak of the coronavirus
disease (COVID-19), with impacts on both travel supply and demand, particularly in China, the
world's leading outbound market, and other key Asian and European destinations such
as Italy.
 To contain the virus and slow the spread many of destinations have implemented a lockdown
and travel restrictions. This means tourism destinations which are tourism reliant are no longer
having these tourists enter the country. Thus, tourism reliant destinations will experience an
economic decline.
 Many destinations will experience severe economic impacts from the impacts of COVID-19.
The economic impacts are a result of travel restrictions and lockdowns which result in tourists
being unable to visit attractions and places such as restaurants and bars. This is leading to
many jobs being lost and tourist destinations losing a major economic resource.
IN THE NAME OF PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY, CAN THE GOVERNMENT VALIDLY REQUIRE
PEOPLE TO WEAR FACE MASKS IN PUBLICAND REFUSE ENTRY TO PUBLIC PLACESIF ONE IS
SUFFERING FROM SLIGHT FEVER OR REFUSES TO WASH HANDS WITH A SANITIZER?