THE Cebu Provincial Board (PB) on Monday afternoon, February 10, 2020, has passed on first, second, third and final reading a proposed ordinance adopting the provisions of Executive Order (EO) 5, creating a provincial task force to help prevent the entry and spread of the 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

The approved draft legislation also adopts the memorandum issued by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, providing guidelines for local government units across the province on how to enforce home quarantine for Cebuanos arriving from countries with confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease.

Under the ordinance, the non-disclosure of pertinent facts in the health declaration card and the spread of fake news and false information on social media in relation to the 2019-nCoV shall be prohibited and subject to penalties.

A certificate of urgency was issued by the governor last February 7 to fast-track the passage of the legislation amid the 2019-nCoV scare.

The measure was filed by fourth district Provincial Board Member Kerrie Keane Shimura, who heads the committee on public health. (RTF)