In Cebu City, including Q-PASS, stay-at-home order: Restrictions remain even under MGCQ

CEBU, Philippines —  Restrictions in the movement of people will remain in Cebu City even as it is now under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) this September.

For one, quarantine passes would still be needed when going out and the mandatory stay at home directive for individuals covered by Mayor Edgardo Labella’s Executive Order 89 remains.

As mandated by the EO, any person below 21 years old, those who are 60 years old and above, those with immunodeficiencies, comorbidities, or other health risks, pregnant women, including any person who resides with the aforementioned, shall be required to remain in their residence at all times, except when indispensable under the circumstances for obtaining essential goods and services, or for work in industries and offices or such other activities permitted under MGCQ.

Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementer of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Operations Center (EOC) in the city, said residents should instill discipline if they don’t want the city to go back to a stricter quarantine classification.

“If dili ta magdisiplina, layo ra kaayo nang 15 ka diyas. Basi'g mo-revert na sad ta back to a higher quarantine status," Garganera said.

(If we don’t discipline ourselves, 15 days is too long; we might revert to a higher quarantine status.)

"Kita sa gobyerno, we can only do so much. We've been doing that for the last pila ka buwan. Wa gud mi holiday. Wa mi kaila unsa nang long weekend. Ang amo lang unta, suklian lang unta sa mga tawo sa pagsabot ba. We're doing this for Cebu City and the Cebu Island," he added.

(We in government can only do so much. We’ve been working for the last few months. We did not have a holiday. We did not know what a long weekend was. What we’re asking if for the public to understand. We’re doing this for Cebu City and Cebu Island.)

Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 Director Albert Ignatius Ferro made the same appeal.

"Dili ta magkompiyansa ba because we don't want to go back to MECQ, ECQ... We want to reach Christmas without any hassle," Ferro said.

(Let us not be complacent because we don’t want to go back to MECQ, ECQ… We want to reach Christmas without any hassle.)

Ferro said Cebu City will be able to sustain the less strict MGCQ status if residents continue to follow health protocols and adopt their own personal precautionary measures.

Q-Pass

Section 2 (Q) of Labella’s executive order states that "Quarantine Passes (QPass) duly issued by the city government shall be presented by household members who wish to go out of their homes to access basic necessities and services."

Authorized persons outside residence (APOR) are exempt from this requirement.

Going out will be allowed only from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Number coding of quarantine passes still applies on weekdays. Residents with codes ending with odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) are allowed to go out during Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while those with codes ending with even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8, 0) can go out on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

On Sundays, codes ending with odd numbers are allowed only from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. while codes ending with even numbers are allowed only from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Gatherings

Mass gatherings such as but not limited to sporting events, religious services, and work conferences shall be allowed provided that participants shall be limited to 50 percent of the seating or venue capacity.

Further, activities and gatherings related to fiestas and festivals are prohibited during the MGCQ period.

Holding of traditional cockfighting and operation of cockpits; beerhouses and similar establishments whose primary business is serving alcoholic drinks; entertainment industries (traditional cinemas, theaters), among others, are not allowed.

Labella's previous orders such as the total liquor ban and mandatory wearing of face masks in all public places as well as mandatory COVID-19 testing for persons deprived of liberty (PDL) and children in conflict with the law (CICL), among others, remain in effect.

Economy

Garganera said the challenge for the city now is how to reopen the economy.

"It's not a question of choosing lives over livelihood. These two should coexist. By doing so, we have to do it in such a way nga we cannot afford to commit the slightest mistake because anything that goes wrong, morevert ta'g balik, lisod na kaayo. Kapoy na kaayo," he said.

(It’s not a question of choosing lives over livelihood. These two should coexist. We must do it in a way that we don’t commit the slightest mistake because if anything goes wrong, we revert… it will be difficult. We’re now very tired.)

Garganera said the business sector should also be mindful when opening their respective businesses, stressing they have to do it in such a way that the risk will be mitigated.

Useless?

Garganera shrugged off comments that using the term MGCQ in Cebu City is useless of the restrictions that are still in place.

"I don't care og moingon sila'g useless. Para nako, primordial gyud karon ang atong health… Ang magic word niana is 'Q' which is quarantine. Once we are in quarantine, there's restriction. As to how are we going to go with the enforcement niana dapita, the LGU should be the right authority on what kind of quarantine ang atong i-enforce together also with the police," he said.

(I don’t care if they say it’s useless. For me, our health is primordial for now. The magic word is ‘Q’ which is quarantine. Once we are in quarantine, there is restriction. The LGU and the police will decide how to go about it.)

Garganera reminded the public to not be complacent even if Cebu City has already flattened the curve, as far as cases are concerned.

"Worried kaayo mi ani kay naa man gyud na sa World Health Organization nga if there's any LGU nga mo-downgrade gani into a lower quarantine status, within two weeks, because of the movements, because of the opening of the establishment and everything, cases will rise," he said.

(We are so worried because according to the World Health Organization, if an LGU downgrades its quarantine status, within two weeks, because of the movements because establishments reopen, cases will rise.)

He also pointed out that the city no longer has as many law enforces now, unlike during ECQ or MECQ, because augmentation forces have already left the city. Besides, the police cannot focus on COVID-19 matters this time around because they also have to take care of security now that more establishments are reopening.

As of Monday, August 31, Cebu City has 635 active cases with a total of 9,634 since March. At least 8,350 have recovered and 649 have died.

IATF Decision

All LGUs in Cebu island are now under MGCQ for the month of September.

“When the following temporary measures are relaxed and become less necessary: limiting movement and transportation, the regulation of operating industries, and the presence of uniformed personnel to enforce community quarantine protocols” the IATF said.

Like Cebu City, situation in other urban areas that were under GCQ the past month have also improved.

Mandaue City now only has 362 active cases, Lapu-Lapu City has 282, Talisay City has 56, Minglanilla has 39, and Consolacion has 21.

This is the first time that a quarantine status lasts for a month. In previous months, a classification lasts only for 15 days.

Under MGCQ, there will be more public transportation and public gatherings like sporting events and religious affairs are allowed at 50 percent the capacity. —  Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, Iris Hazel M. Mascardo, JMO (FREEMAN)