BEGINNING 12 noon Saturday, March 28, 2020 until 12 noon of April 28, the Cebu City Government will field 20 additional buses, bringing the total to 40, to transport health workers and the public as the Queen City’s enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) goes on full throttle.
City Administrator Floro Casas Jr. said the buses will ply Cebu City routes to ferry those who are allowed to go out of their homes, as they belong to the exemptions, during the period of the ECQ.
On Thursday, March 26, Mayor Edgardo Labella signed Executive Order (EO) 64 declaring Cebu City under a state of ECQ, citing the “presumptive positive cases” of the Covid-19 in Cebu City awaiting confirmation aside from mounting deaths, nationwide.
The mandatory stay at home order applies to everyone except the following: medical workers, emergency personnel, all authorized government officials and employees, drivers and personnel of cargo delivery vehicles, construction workers duly authorized by the City, accredited media personnel, farmers, fishermen and agri-business personnel, persons seeking medical attention, and employees of exempt establishments such as banks, supermarkets, gas stations, money transfers, pharmacies and call centers.
With the exemption of emergency vehicles and delivery trucks, the EO also suspends the operation of all land vehicles unless duly authorized by the Mayor, used for emergency, or used to secure basic necessities.
Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of the border control task force, assured those who are still in the city but are living in other parts of the province that they can still head home on March 28 since buses and v-hires will be allowed to transport outbound passengers.
In Talisay City, buses will be deployed to provide free transportation to Talisaynons who are among those allowed to work during the ECQ period.
The buses will roam around the city to pick up workers and take them to its border with Cebu City so they can take another ride to their workplace.
The same applies to those who will be going home to Talisay City from Cebu City, said Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas Jr.
Gullas said the City also rented 45 tricycles to ferry those with quarantine passes if they need to go to the grocery or markets to buy supplies.
Social distancing will be implemented, with only two passengers allowed per tricycle.
Gullas said they will immediately deploy the tricycles and may add more, depending on the city’s need. He said they will start deploying 45 tricycles, then they will add day by day if there’s a need to increase the number of tricycles.
In Lapu-Lapu City, the local government will also deploy 45 buses to be used as transportation during the lockdown.
Ceres buses
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), meanwhile, announced special permits have been given to 30 Ceres buses so that local government units will be able to avail of the bus liner’s services in the days leading to the province-wide ECQ which begins at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 30.
LTFRB 7 Director Eduardo Montealto Jr. said of the number, 20 are intended to serve southern Cebu destinations while 10 are reserved for the north.
Montealto explained all the standby buses are non-air conditioned as a measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among the passengers.
Ceres Bus is operated by Vallacar Transit Inc.
The LTFRB 7 earlier arrested 97 drivers of public utility vehicles, mostly jeepneys, for violation of the government’s rule on social distancing.
The drivers were issued an Inspection Report Summons and fined P5,000 for “breach of franchise.”
Meanwhile, Montealto announced that 50 motorcycle units of Grab Food Delivery will help deliver food to frontliners free of charge.
Montealto said companies or organizations that wish to give food to frontliners need only to contact Grab Food Delivery to avail of its free services. (HBL, JJL, JCT/ RHB)