RELIGIOUS gatherings are temporarily prohibited in Jose Abad Santos (JAS), Davao Occidental due to the surge of Covid-19 cases in the province.

JAS Mayor Jason John Joyce said in a Facebook post that this order is not only for Sundays but also applies throughout the week.

"Dili lang matag Linggo pero kada-adlaw. Mamahimong sa mga balay lang usa kita mag-ampo. Sarado dapat ang mga simbahan ug mosque (This is not only applied on Sundays. We will just do our prayer and worship in our respective homes. All churches and mosques must be closed)," Joyce said.

Joyce said the town also imposed a boundary lockdown every Sunday, wherein no one is allowed to go out and come into JAS.

"Dili makasulod ug makagawas sa JAS matag Linggo. Panahon sa pagpahulay sa atuang mga frontliners sa Mangile ug Kitayo. Ug suporta pud nato sa Sta. Maria ug Malita nga nag no movement matag linggo. (It is the day where our frontliners in Barangays Mangile and Kitayo would rest. It is also our support to our neighboring barangays in Sta. Maria and Malita which also imposed a no Sunday movement policy),” he said.

The mayor said only essential travel is allowed on weekdays while the minors and senior citizens are not allowed to go out.

He added that those who are entering the municipality without reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results will undergo a 14-day quarantine.

He added that all visitors outside the Davao Region should present negative RT-PCR test results upon entry.

As of September 6, JAS has a total of 209 confirmed cases, wherein eight are active cases.