To all domestic travelers: Cebu shuts doors

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu will close to domestic travelers its seaports 72 hours from now and its airport 48 hours from now but those coming from Clark, Legazpi City, Cagayan de Oro City, and Dumaguete City will be barred entry effective immediately, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said yesterday.

Garcia said the ban covers persons only, adding that the movement of cargoes and products will remain unimpeded.

Those already in transit from the cities listed above, places where there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19, will be asked to undergo self-quarantine procedures.

Some sea travels will be banned within an earlier timeframe.

Within 48 hours, incoming sea travels from the cities of San Carlos, Guihulngan, and Escalante in Negros will not be allowed to dock in Cebu.

Within 24 hours, sea travels from Dumaguete City will not be permitted here as well.

Except for these mentioned places, sea travelers from other areas of the country will be completely barred entry to Cebu in 72 hours.

Garcia has also ordered the closure of moviehouses, pools, recreation centers, gyms, and other communal activity centers in the province.

Curfew will be implemented across the province from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. except those delivering goods. Business process outsourcing (BPO) companies may request for exemption subject to the governor’s approval.

The police, mayors, barangay officials, and port authorities will be tasked to implement these regulations.

The prohibitions will be in effect for a period of 30 days in Cebu.

Why 30 days? Garcia said this is to cover the 14-day incubation period for the coronavirus and the additional days will serve as a leeway to mitigate risks.

The governor also pointed out that what is being prohibited is entry to Cebu, not exit.

Residents or travelers from Manila who will arrive in Cebu earlier than the beginning of the mandated community quarantine there on Monday are advised to undergo self-isolation.

So far, there are 68 recorded persons under investigation in Cebu. They are considered as such because they showed signs of upper respiratory tract infections and came from a place where there was a confirmed case of COVID-19.

Earlier yesterday, Garcia banned entry to Cebu of air travel passengers coming from Clark International Airport, as well as from Legazpi City, Cagayan de Oro City, and Dumaguete City.

The ban will be enforced for 30 days and is effective “immediately”, according to Executive Order No. 5-E, series of 2020, issued by Garcia yesterday, March 4, 2020.

This move by the Cebu provincial government with the support of the Cebu Provincial COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force is yet another effort to prevent the entry of the virus in the province which has zero cases as of this writing.

The newly-signed EO is in consonance with previously implemented EOs 5, 5-A, 5-B, 5-C and 5-D establishing COVID-19 preventive protocols on travel and quarantine.

In her newest EO, Garcia stressed that the ban will supplement the already-operational community quarantine declared by President Rodrigo Duterte on Metro Manila set on March 15 to April 14.

“There is a necessity to support efforts of Metro Manila in order to further suppress the spread of COVID-19,” the resolution reads.

At present, the number of confirmed cases has jumped from 64 to 98 with 8 confirmed deaths so far. JMD (FREEMAN)