DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The city may possibly be placed under an extreme Enhanced Community Quarantine (EECQ) after the end of the implemented Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) this April 19, 2020, Mayor Sara Duterte said.
In a radio interview, the mayor said city government officials are now discussing possible steps that the city government will take based on their assessment of the 14-day ECQ implementation.
The decision will be based on how the public has been following the guidelines provided by the government to contain the virus.
“We are [exploring the possibility of doing] two things. One [possibility] is Extreme Enhanced Community Quarantine. Or we go back to the ordinary community quarantine,” said Mayor Sara.
The mayor clarified that the officials must ascertain whether or not the public has largely been cooperative with all orders and local authorities implementing the EQC in the city.
New curfew hours
As part of the ECQ, the city has strictly been implementing the new curfew hours from 6 pm to 6 am effective April 7, 2020.
The new curfew hours took effect on the same day the city implemented the ECQ to prevent people from going out of their houses.
Mayor Sara said that they are only allowed to go out when using their Food and Medicine Passes issued by the local government before the mandated curfew hours.
Those exempt from the new curfew policies are individuals dealing with emergency cases and those in government offices related to security, health, social services, sanitation, and disaster.
Other people exempt are those in the food commissaries, processing or manufacturing, and delivery services, those individuals working in hospitals, medical laboratories, pharmacies, drugstores, other health services/personnel, and doctors in medical and dental clinics.
The city also allowed exemptions to people working in gas stations, funeral parlors, and mass media outlets.
Punishment for violators
Mayor Sara recently ordered the arrest of individuals violating the guidelines set by the city government.
She recently ordered the Davao City Police Police to arrest any individual ignoring the new curfew hours after she received a report that an ambulance vehicle ignored the curfew and a quarantine control checkpoint.
She added that during the incident the vehicle was not responding to an emergency while traveling after the curfew set by the city government.
“Do not test the law enforcement on the ground implementing our security measures. They are there on the ground because it is mandated by the law,” the mayor said. (davaotoday.com)
