STARTING 9 p.m. Saturday, April 4, Davao City will be placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in response to the rising coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases.
The City Government issued on Thursday, April 2, Executive Order (EO) 23, placing the city under ECQ from April 4 until 11:59 p.m. of April 19.
Majority of the provisions of EO 23 are adapted from the previously issued EO 20-A.
Under the ECQ, all government office will adapt a “work from home,” and leave minimal employees to continue work in offices except those involved in security, health, social services, sanitation, and disaster, who must continue to work in full operation.
All non-essential private establishments and offices are still closed, except for the following: groceries; supermarkets; wet markets or palengkes; food commissaries; food manufacturing; food delivery services; wholesale stores; convenience stores; sari-sari stores; hospitals; gas stations; business process outsourcing or call center agents; medical laboratories; pharmacies; drugstores; banks; saving and credit cooperatives; money-transfer services; other delivery services; construction hardware; doctor’s and dentist’s clinics; water refilling stations; LPG stations; and media outlets. However, if possible, they must have a skeleton workforce arrangement, and must follow physical distancing between employees.
Other establishments and private offices not mentioned but are considered essential sectors, including but not limited to energy, water, telecommunications, must work only “for preventive maintenance and during emergencies”.
While manufacturing, fabrication, construction work that is not pertinent to the public health emergency and state of calamity response should immediately cease operation.
Agri-business and farms are mandated to reduce workload and extend their deadlines to reduce laborers in job sites, and follow the two-meter distance between laborers.
The EO also states that ambulant food vendors who are using different modes of transportation to sell basic food commodities in the barangays shall be allowed, provided they shall only sell rice, bread, meat, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables, cooking oil, and other food condiments. However, only a maximum of two workers, one driver and one assistant, are allowed provided they would wear face masks, and conduct proper food handling.
Public utility jeepneys (PUJs) must stop their operation except those hired to work by the government, through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) program.
Other forms of transportation are, however, allowed to operate provided they follow the social distancing guidelines issued by the Department of Transportation (DOTr): private vehicles and taxis (one passenger in front and back); tricycle (one passenger in front and back); single rider motorcycle or bicycle; free bus rides hired by the city government.
Also stated in the EO, individuals on the streets must carry and present their food and medicine (FM) passes, with supported employee ID and other valid IDs, whenever asked by law enforcement or barangay checkpoints.
FM passes, according to the EO, shall only be used to buy food, medicines or go to the hospital. Two individuals can be named on the pass but only one named person can use it at any given time. The passes can only be used from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The EO also maintains the observation of the liquor ban, from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next day. Also, the curfews would also remain from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
“People cannot go out of their houses, except in cases of emergencies,” the EO states, emphasizing there is no need for any ID or passes in the event of an emergency.
Meanwhile, workers exempted in the curfew are the following: employed government offices related to security, health, social services, sanitation, and disaster; 24 hours groceries or convenience stores; wet markets (palengkes); food commissaries; food processing or manufacturing; food delivery services; hospitals; medical laboratories; pharmacies; drugstores; other health services and personnel; doctor’s and dentist’s clinics; gas station; and mass media outlets.
Minors, senior citizen, pregnant women, sick, and immunocompromised individuals are prohibited from going out of their residences except to go to the hospitals, medical or allied medica institutions. Those living alone may get can get an FM pass, or if appropriate can ask a neighbor or a friend to assist them in buying food and medicines. Employers, if possible, must assign their senior citizen employees to work from home
Individuals, however, are still allowed to exercise or go out into the sun or get some fresh air provided they are within a few meters from their residences.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in a radio interview Thursday, that the city intended to implement the ECQ on a Saturday evening, in time with the start of the curfew to give Dabawenyos ample time to prepare, especially those who are receiving their salaries on a weekly basis.
Meanwhile, the mayor reminded the public not to panic, as the ECQ is not meant to cause further strictness or panic. Hence, she said the enhanced quarantine could help mitigate the widespread of the virus especially in the city.
“There is no need to panic on the ECQ, but we need to worry about Covid 19,” Duterte-Carpio said in an interview via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
She also said the entire Davao Region would also be placed under ECQ, wherein different local government units would be issuing their respective EOs.
The mayor also bared the possibility of declaring an extreme ECQ, depending on the development on the improvement of the Covid-data on the ground.