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MAYOR Evelio Leonardia issued Executive Order (EO) 60, placing the city of Bacolod under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from September 8 to 30 in accordance with Resolution 69-A, 2020 Series dated September 7 of 2020 of the Interagency Working Group for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).
Leonardia, who signed the EO on September 7, said that the IATF placed the city of Bacolod under general community quarantine (GCQ) from September 1 to 30 by virtue of its Resolution 67 of August 31, and on that basis, EO 57, dated August 31, was correspondingly issued to implement the required GCQ within the city until September 30.
On September 7, however, he said that the IATF made a televised announcement, this time reviewing the quarantine status of Bacolod City from GCQ to MECQ until September 30.
The update was based on the fact that the city recorded a total of 462 additional Covid-19 positives in a matter of four days, which is an alarming increase in infections, attributed to the massive tests recently conducted under EO 55 and that can, consequently, result in a much more threatening event of an uncontrolled spread of Covid-19 to the point where hospitals and healthcare facilities in the city would be overwhelmed, Leonardia said.
“This unfortunate but indispensable rollback of GCQ status to MECQ, as in any previous way of improving community quarantine status, is intended to slow down local broadcasts and serve as a critical reminder to our citizens that both the national state like that of the city Governments are always concerned about the health of the people with an unquestionable determination to prevail in the battle against this Covid-19 pandemic and, at the same time, to demand from the same people their sincere cooperation and a clear community awareness and understanding that the achievements brought “Previous health protocols and discipline will not be wasted for our people and the local economy to survive despite the Covid-19 health crisis,” he added.
Section 3 of the EO states that the Home Quarantine Pass (HQP) system mandated in EO 58, as amended by EO 58-A, to be implemented from September 6 to 19 “will now be implemented from the effective date of this EO until September 30. Carry out restrictions on the movements of people while they are under MECQ status. “
Public transportation will also be suspended in accordance with Paragraph 11, Section 3 of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines with amendments effective July 16, 2020.
Individual outdoor exercises such as outdoor walks, jogging, running or biking are allowed as long as minimum health standards and precautions are adhered to, such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing protocols.
Face-to-face or person-to-person at all levels will be suspended for the duration of the MECQ. Mass gatherings such as, but not limited to, movies, screenings, concerts, sporting events and other entertainment activities, community assemblies, and non-essential work meetings will be prohibited.
Gatherings that are for the provision of critical government services and authorized humanitarian activities while adhering to prescribed minimum standards of health will be permitted, “provided religious gatherings are limited to no more than five persons until otherwise modified by the subsequent publication of the IATF. “
“To allow workers and employees enough time to commute home after work without having to crowd public transportation terminals and city streets to pick up their rides home, which would violate social distancing rules, the daily curfew that the general public must observe during the duration of the MECQ from September 8 to 30, 2020 will be from 10 pm to 4 am ”, indicated the EO.
The sale of liquor or any alcoholic or intoxicating beverage will also be allowed from 12 pm to 6 pm only, subject to strict observance of social distancing and other mandatory health protocols.
Until further notice, the three main public markets, the Central Market, the North Market of Burgos and the South Freedom Market, will remain closed on Sundays for cleaning and sanitation in compliance with public health and safety protocols, the EO said.
Businesses in the essential goods and services sectors, as well as those engaged in providing premium commodities, such as supermarkets, public and private wet markets, grocery stores, fish supply stores, veterinary supply stores, pharmacies , drugstores and other retail establishments under Similar business commitments are strongly encouraged to extend daily store operations to a maximum of 12 hours that is convenient for both customers and owners, “provided that the policies on minimum protocols for health, curfew, use of the HQP under an odd-pair scheme, and other public health and safety measures included in this Executive Order will remain taxable at all times. “
Incoming trips to the city by land, sea or air of locally stranded individuals (LSI) are suspended pursuant to IATF Resolution 69 of September 7, 2020. The suspension will remain in force and effect until revoked by the IATF.
The period prior to September 6-19, 2020 established in EO 58, as amended by EO 58-A, for the maintenance of checkpoints within the City of Bacolod and along the city borders, has also been amended.
This time, the control points will be maintained for the duration of the MECQ based on Resolution IATF 69-A of September 7, 2020.
“Despite City Ordinance 937, s. 2020 granting Emergency Authority to the Mayor of the City to establish checkpoints for periods not to exceed 14 days at a time. Police visibility will also be improved under the same public duty to enforce the protocols of health, public security and the maintenance of peace and order in strategic areas that it considers effective for the application of the law ”, added the EO.
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