Danao beaches closed until Sunday

CEBU, Philippines —  To prevent the further spread of COVID-19 this Holy Week, all public and private beach resorts in Danao City, northern Cebu have been ordered closed for four days, starting today.

Mayor Ramon Durano III issued Executive Order (EO) No. 07 on Monday shutting down beach resorts during the rest of the Holy Week, from April 1 (Holy Thursday) to April 4 (Easter Sunday).

"It has been observed in recent years that the public spent their weekend during Holy Week in beach resorts where people converge and interact with each other,” read the EO which was posted Tuesday on the official Facebook page of the city government.

If such practice is allowed to continue at this time of the pandemic, Durano said, there is a great possibility of unabated spread of the dreaded virus.

“Thus, all public and private beach resorts shall be closed to the public for swimming during April 1 (Holy Thursday), April 2 (Good Friday), April 3 (Black Saturday), and April 4 (Easter Sunday,” the EO added.

The EO, however, allowed hotel accommodations and stay-in resorts to operate provided they strictly follow the minimum health protocols set by the Department of Health and Inter-Agency Task Force Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

Private swimming pools may be open, but only to stay-in guests from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Further, the EO prohibits parties.

Durano said these measures are necessary to contain the virus.

“There is a serious threat that Cebu might be experiencing what is happening in the National Capital Region (NCR) right now, if no measures shall be undertaken by the local government units (LGUs) to prevent the surge of COVID-19 cases,” he said.

NCR is now placed anew under the enhanced community quarantine owing to the daily spike in coronavirus cases.

Cebu province, including Danao City, remains under the modified general community quarantine.

Stay safe APP

Meanwhile, Department of Interior and Local Government Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya assured the public that the Stay Safe application is safe and has passed the National Privacy Commission’s review.

Malaya said the app is not used as surveillance as it only uses bluetooth technology though Google Apple Exposure Notification System and not use a GPS (global positioning system).

More to it, Malaya said, the system and the database have already been turned over to DILG by the private company, Multisys Technologies Corporation.

“The doubters of this system can sleep easy. The system and its database is no longer in the hands of a private company but now in the hands of the DILG which will ensure compliance with all laws, rules and regulations. The National Privacy Commission has also reviewed Stay Safe and it has passed the NPC’s review,” he said.

Malaya lauded Multisys for developing such innovation in contact tracing.

For his part, David Almirol, chief executive officer and founder of Multisys, said he is pleased that his company has done its significant share in helping the government at this time of pandemic when everyone is called to be part of the solution and take an active part in anti-COVID efforts.

Designed to aid in the management of COVID-19 cases by reminding people to maintain physical distance, as well as recording and monitoring COVID-19 symptoms, StaySafe.PH was developed by Multisys in collaboration with PLDT-Smart Group, PLDT Enterprise, IATF-MEID and National Task Force on COVID-19.

The app engages the public against the spread of COVID-19 and aggregates all reports available in desktop and mobile versions, allowing the government to respond quickly to people's needs and make informed and timely decisions to keep Filipinos safe during the pandemic.

Following the turn-over of the app to DILG, the said department along with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will hold a workshop for all LGUs with existing local contact tracing systems so that they can be integrated with StaySafe.

The use of this app will be made mandatory soon.

“In this time of pandemic, we cannot afford to work alone, apart from the efforts of the others. Hence, we need to unify our contact tracing initiatives through the StaySafe app. We will, of course, provide technical assistance to LGUs who may need help in integrating their own systems with StaySafe,” said Malaya.

DILG’s OIC Bernardo Florece Jr. also reiterated his call to the LGUs to have a uniform system.

“Hindi po pwedeng kanya-kanya tayo. We need a macro view of the situation on the ground so that we will be armed with up-to-date information that will aid us in implementing COVID-19 response policies and measures,” Florece said in a statement. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, KQD (FREEMAN)