Cebu City MECQ begins today

File photo
File photo

SEVERAL commercial establishments in Cebu City may begin to reopen on Saturday, May 16, 2020, as the city shifts from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella issued Executive Order No. 77 (EO 77) on Friday, May 15, placing the city under MECQ status effective 12:01 a.m. of May 16 to 11:59 p.m. of May 31.

But while the MECQ has opened the gates for some businesses to operate, strict return-to-work protocols have to be complied with before their actual operation.

Among the requirements set by the mayor is for the businesses to have all their on-site employees undergo mandatory rapid anti-body diagnostic testing before they can be allowed to work.

Those who yield a positive result in the rapid test will have to undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to confirm the rapid test result.

Only on-site employees that have been cleared by the Department of Health (DOH) Central Visayas can report to work.

Employers are also required to submit to the mayor’s office a letter request to operate, a letter of management responsibility with an approved employees list, and a safety and security plan with their corresponding appointed health and infection prevention control officer.

Another return-to-work protocol that employers need to comply with are private shuttles/transportation arrangements for their workers.

The option to work from home should be provided to workers as a default arrangement, while on-site deployment is the exception.

Once employers are able to comply with all the requirements, the City will issue a special permit to operate.

The EO 77 also said management should comply with minimum public health standards and safety protocols at all times.

“For businesses that are already allowed to operate under the ECQ, the employers are required to submit an undertaking to the City Government, through the Mayor’s Office, that they will submit their workers on-site to Rapid-Antibody Diagnostic Testing and Confirmatory PCR Testing,” the EO read.

“Otherwise, the City Government shall issue a cease and desist order to the non-complying business establishment,”

it added.

Malls and commercial centers

Under the MECQ, the industries allowed to operate with partial operating capacity (50 percent work on-site, 50 percent work from home) include malls and commercial centers (non-leisure only), restaurants (no dine-in, delivery and take-out only), hardware stores, clothing and accessories, mall-based government frontline services, bookstores and school and office supplies stores, baby care supplies stores, pet food and pet care, among others.

However, because of the rapid testing requirement for on-site workers, the partial reopening of malls would have to be suspended until they are able to comply with the new mandate.

“We will do the testing by batches. We will prioritize those employees who are assigned to the essential stores before we move on the tenants allowed in the MECQ so we can still serve our customers,” Floramie Adolfo, senior regional operations manager of Robinsons Land Corp. said.

Stay at home

Except for health workers and those that fall under the exemptions, during the MECQ, the public is still mandated to stay at home unless accessing basic necessities and services. Only one person per household is allowed to go out to do errands.

The stay-at-home order for all senior citizens and minors, as well as work suspension for senior citizens, shall remain in effect under the MECQ.

However, limited outdoor exercises are allowed such as walking, jogging, running, and biking provided safety protocols are followed such as the wearing of face masks and two-meter distancing.

Mass gatherings are still restricted. A maximum of only five persons are allowed to gather.

All forms of public transportation are still suspended except for public shuttles.

Travelling to Cebu City by air or by sea, is still prohibited except for authorized government officials and employees, health and emergency workers, law enforcement personnel (including the police, military, and force multipliers), returning OFWs, returning Filipinos, trucks and vehicles transporting all types of cargo, and those who may be authorized by the mayor.

No vehicles are allowed to enter and exit the city except those carrying persons allowed to enter and exit the city; vehicles carrying essential goods and basic commodities; emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks; vehicles of the AFP and PNP; and vehicles determined by the mayor or his duly-authorized representative.

The liquor ban in all public places is still in effect within the city.

Other rules:

The wearing of mask in public places is still mandatory.

Strict social distancing and limiting the ingress of customers in establishments that have been allowed to operate

Number coding for vehicles shall continue to be observed.

Vehicle owners are still required to follow the speed limit of 40 kilometers per hour when traveling in highways and city roads, while those traveling on barangay roads and residential areas should run only at 20 kilometers per hour.

The alphabetical scheme in Carbon Market will continue to be observed. (JJL, JOB)

Other details may be found in EO 077.

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